A Lucas County elections official said Wednesday he is unsure whether the county’s Early Vote Center accessibility to those with disabilities is in compliance with the law, a question resulting from a problem with the front door.

In-person voting for the Aug. 2 primary has been going on at the Early Vote Center at Lucas County Shared Services building at 3737 W. Sylvania Ave. in West Toledo since July 6. It is the first time early voting is held at that location after moving from a downtown Toledo area site.

The door to the Sylvania Avenue facility only could be opened by hand when a reporter checked on it Wednesday.

“I am unsure whether this is fully compliant with ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] regulations,” said Timothy Monaco, Lucas County Board of Elections deputy director.

Mr. Monaco said the board of elections has spoken to the county, which owns the building.

“The county has put in an order for parts to make this a push-button entrance when… it is unlocked for early voting,” Mr. Monaco said, adding that he did not know when the order was put in.

The entrance has to be handicap accessible per Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, Mr. Monaco noted.

On July 7, during a shared campus construction meeting, the elections board asked that entrance C be enhanced with an automatic door opener, county public information officer Mark Reiter said in a written statement. The county facilities department immediately began working on the process to obtain an automatic door opener, Mr. Reiter said, a process that is continuing.

"During the build-out of the BOE [board of elections] offices and Early Vote Center, the contractor met multiple times on-site with the Secretary of State’s ADA inspector, who did not raise any issues with ADA accessibility to entrance C," Mr. Reiter said.

A message was left Wednesday with a spokesman for the Ohio Secretary of State office.

Mr. Reiter said that the existing door to entrance C is fitted with a door handle that allows people with disabilities to pull open, allowing full voter access to the building. 

Voters also can park at the curbside voter space, and push a button located there to alert an Early Vote Center employee that they need assistance, Mr. Reiter said.

Early voting continues into Aug. 1.

First Published July 20, 2022, 11:03 p.m.