Officials working on voting upgrades after HAVA deadline passes

BY SANDI P. BEASON    Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal   04 January 2006

TUPELO - Lee County still has work to do in getting its polling places up to par with a federal mandate to make precincts handicapped-accessible.

And Lee County is not alone.

"We have been in contact with the Justice Department to explain the situation that many counties are facing, as far as Katrina is concerned," said David Blount, spokesman for the Mississippi Secretary of State's office. "We've been told that the Justice Department is going to work with our state in light of the challenges posed by Katrina."

Counties nationwide had a Jan. 1 deadline to upgrade voting machines and make polling places handicapped-accessible under the Help America Vote Act of 2002. The deadline has passed and the law has not changed, Blount said.

"A handful of counties in the state met the deadline," said Lee County administrator Ronnie Bell. "It's Jan. 1 in the law, but June 6 is the election. That's the real deadline."

At some of Lee County's 39 precincts, upgrades will include paving, ramps, signs and changes like wider doors and different door knobs. Many of the precincts are inside churches or on other private property, so lease agreements must be signed before work can begin.

Federal funds

The state received $1 million in federal funds to give in grants to counties for the upgrades. The deadline to apply for the grants has been moved to March 1, Blount said.

"Lee County is scheduled to receive $27,000," Blount said. "We had said, You are eligible for this much through the grant program, but you have to get us receipts on what you spent money on by the end of the year.' Many counties said they needed more time, so we extended the deadline. ... In a lot of counties, their budgets have been decimated."

That funding is separate from federal grants available for machine upgrades, he said.

Eric Holland, spokesman for the Department of Justice, said his agency is evaluating each state to determine what action, if any, should be taken against those that did not comply.

"Section 401 of the Help America Vote Act allows the Justice Department to file suit in U.S. District Court to enforce compliance," Holland said. "But we're evaluating the status of each state. ... We're evaluating our options."