Today the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) presented the state of Maryland's Election Director, Linda Lamone, the Accessible Voting/Justice For All award. Under Linda Lamone's leadership, Maryland is leading the nation in accessible voting. Rhode Island is the first state to make all of its polling places wheelchair accessible and Georgia is the first state to offer an accessible voting machine in every polling place. Maryland is on track to be the first state in the nation to have all of its polling places accessible and to have accessible voting machines in each polling place.
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is the nation's largest disability membership organization. AAPD leads the disability community's efforts to make voting accessible and played a significant role in the drafting and passage of the Help America Vote Act of 2002. AAPD is recognized by local, state and national election officials as the authority on voting access.
In presenting the award to Linda Lamone, Jim Dickson, AAPD's Vice President for Government Affairs, said, "Linda Lamone's leadership is a national treasure. Every day, I hear from disability leaders that their Election Director is unresponsive. The first thing I tell them is that, if they want accessible voting, they should move to Maryland. Lead by Linda Lamone, Maryland state and county election officials are a beacon of hope for millions of disabled Americans."
The Justice For All award was presented at the fall meeting of Maryland's Election Administrators. Election Director Lamone exemplifies the best in election administration. Her work is precise, thoughtful, and innovative. Maryland's Administration of Elections is a shining example for the rest of the nation.