Facts

California Council of the Blind, Scott Blanks, LisaMaria Martinez, Leah Gardner, Richard Rueda, and Laurence Bunn, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated sued the County of Alameda, and Tim Dupuis, the Interim Registrar of Voters for the County of Alameda, relating to voting access for the blind.

PLAINTIFFS' CONTENTIONS:
A group of blind voters contended that they were forced to dictate their votes to others instead of voting privately and independently because of malfunctioning accessible voting machines. Along with the California Council of the Blind, they filed suit against the county and the Interim Registrar of Voters for the county for declaratory and injunctive relief under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the California Election and Government Codes.

Result

Under the terms of the settlement agreement reached between the parties, machines will be tested pre-election, workers will receive hands-on training, and a hotline will be set up on election day to quickly repair or replace equipment. The five plaintiffs will each receive $4,000 for a total of $20,000. The California Council of the Blind and a voting access expert will receive $25,000 for the monitoring of the elections, and $50,000 for monitoring by plaintiffs' counsel. Also included, was $425,000 in attorney fees and costs.