It's been 20 years since the first federal law requiring accessibility at voting sites. But voting in the 2004 general election will be one of the least accessible activities in the nation.

Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette Paul O'Hanlon meets with "Let Our Voices Be Heard" at the United Way Building. O'Hanlon, executive director of the Disability Law Center, is among those working to improve access to the polls. Click photo for larger image. Related article: Early planning is smart planning Poll information Allegheny County Board of Elections, 412-350-4500, www.county.allegheny.pa.us/elect U.S. Department of Justice's ADA Checklist for Polling Places is at www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/votingchecklist.htm The Web site of the American Association of People with Disabilities, www.aapd-dc.org, includes presidential candidates' positions on disability issues. Let Our Voices Be Heard Coalition, 412-391-3820, ext. 16, can help people and organizations with voting barriers.

All Americans over 18 have a right to vote. But too often, exercising that right is far from simple.

In Allegheny County, 260 out of 1,307 polling places do not meet state standards for accessibility, which include accessible parking and barrier-free routes from parking area to voting booth.

Outside of Allegheny County, approximately 1,000 polling places in Pennsylvania are inaccessible, as are thousands of sites in other states. Only New Hampshire is reported to have 100 percent accessibility.

The Post-Gazette called attention to the access problem in an April 28 story about a Carnegie woman who could not maneuver her wheelchair into a church polling site. Allegheny County Elections Director Mark Wolosik said the county has since addressed that problem and seven others.

But how can 260 other county sites remain inaccessible? "Complacency," said Paul O'Hanlon, executive director of the Disability Law Center and an activist in efforts to increase access at the polls. For years, said O'Hanlon, "institutional forgetfulness" at all government levels has resulted in lack of compliance with laws requiring accessibility.

Fortunately, the pressure for change is on. Faced with new federal standards for accessibility in the Help America Vote Act of 2002, the Pennsylvania Department of State has been collecting data about access from each county.

The stringent accessibility requirements of the act, passed in the wake of vote-count problems in the 2000 presidential election, take effect in January 2006. Until then, polling sites are required to be in compliance with the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984, which mandates physical access.

To the county's credit, the percentage of accessible polling sites has increased from 20 percent to 80 percent since 1984. The challenge in reaching total compliance is that the places that are available -- churches, schools, community centers -- are not consistently accessible.

"It is important that all citizens have the opportunity to participate in the electoral process," said Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato. "Allegheny County and our elections division are committed to ensuring that eligible voters in our communities have access to the polls."

The Help America Vote Act requires voting sites to upgrade voting machines to accommodate people with disabilities. For example, people who are blind or visually impaired or who cannot read are currently permitted to take a helper into the voting booth. By January 2006, each precinct is expected to provide at least one voting machine where they can vote in private.

Pennsylvania is helping counties evaluate electronic voting systems that may use headsets or touchscreens. There are bound to be glitches and complaints no matter what is chosen. However, getting the ball rolling is an important step.

Across the nation, people with disabilities vote at a much lower rate than the general population. According to one survey, people with disabilities are 10 percent less likely to be registered and 20 percent less likely to vote. If they did, an estimated 5 million to 10 million additional votes would be cast -- a force to be reckoned with, disability advocates say.

Among reasons for not voting are inability to get the polling site, confusion over the methods of voting or being intimidated at the polls.

Locally, the Let Our Voices Be Heard Coalition, an advocacy group that's a project of the Mental Health Association of Allegheny County, has been working with disability organizations to encourage voting. From voter registration drives to educational sessions featuring a real voting booth and buddy systems, most disability groups are poised to offer help.

If a voting site is inaccessible, the alternative ballot is available. Furthermore, people whose voting site is accessible, but can't make it to the polls because of their disability can apply for an absentee ballot (see sidebar for details).Accessible voting sites are not only a right but a marker of an inclusive society.

"Why shouldn't I be able to vote at the polls like everyone else?" asked Korene Kegg, who has voted at Nativity of Blessed Mary Church in Greenfield for several years.

At her polling site, voting is a social event, complete with a stuffed cabbage dinner and a bake sale. Kegg is assisted in the voting booth by her teenage son Bill, but she looks forward to the day when she can vote independently and secretly.