LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Department of Justice wants to see changes to polling places in Louisville after nearly two dozen locations used for elections weren't ADA complaint.
The issues range from parking, to entrances and ramps.
The Medical Arts Building on Eastern Parkway offers an example of the problematic issues at some polling places. There's a slope to the parking lot, which can be difficult for people with disabilities.
The DOJ says there are nearly a dozen non-compliances at the Medical Arts Building.
There were 22 different polling locations with non-compliances in Louisville:
- National Association of Letter Carriers, 4815 Poplar Level Road
- Audubon Park United Methodist Church, 3200 Poplar Level Road
- Medical Arts Building, 1169 Eastern Parkway
- Sojourn Church Midtown, 1207 South Shelby Street
- Hillebrand House, 1235 South Third Street
- Barret Traditional Middle School, 2561 Grinstead Drive
- Roosevelt-Perry Elementary School, 1615 West Broadway
- South Louisville Government Center, 2911 Taylor Boulevard
- PRP Fire Station 5, 6902 Manslick Road
- Rutherford Elementary School, 301 West Southland Boulevard
- LifePointe Church, 3726 Bardstown Road
- Farmington Visitors Center, 3033 Bardstown Road
- Jewish Community Center, 3600 Dutchmans Lane
- Phoenix School of Discovery @ Jaeger, 502 Wood Road
- Sojourn Community Church - East, 2501 Rudy Lane
- The Temple, 5101 US Highway 42
- Knights of Columbus, 4417 River Road
- Harrods Creek Baptist Church, 7610 River Road
- Northeast Christian Church, 9900 Brownsboro Road
- E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park Gym, 3000 Freys Hill Road
- East End Government Center, 200 Juneau Drive
- Eastwood Recreation Center, 16300 Eastwood Cutoff Road
The Hillebrand House in Old Louisville had parking issues, and the ramp had too great of a slope.
"It's very comprehensive and some of the ADA restrictions are pretty stringent and aspect could put you out of compliance," Erran Huber, Jefferson County Clerk's Office director of communications, media, & public relations said.
The Jefferson County Clerk's Office said it's doing what it can to make sure everyone can cast a ballot. It places signage to point people to accessible entrances and has an express vote machine that has a touch screen and a braille box.
The clerk's office plans to start propping open doors and using a separate door bell.
David Allgood with the Center for Accessible Living said nonprofit is concerned about the inaccessibility at the polling places in Louisville.
"It is troubling that the largest minority in America, Kentucky and the second largest in Jefferson County would not be afforded the most fundamental right as an American to participate independently in free and fair elections," Allgood said.
The Center for Accessible Living conducted accessibility surveys in the mid-2000s with the Jefferson County Clerk's Office.
"Everyone's vote is important, no matter who you are," Huber said. "We want to make sure that you have the chance to make your voice heard."
Election officers and other employees have already undergone training and will continue to review efforts to improve voting access.
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