Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 12, March 22, 2024
a)
System of Registration
To be accessible to handicapped and elderly potential voters a
system of registration shall provide an opportunity for each potential voter to
register at the residence of such voter.
b) Polling Places
To be accessible to handicapped and elderly voters a polling
place must have at least one circulation route which meets the following
criteria:
1) Exterior Circulation
Routes
There shall be at least one path of travel that shall have no
steps or slope greater than 1:12 from the curb or parking area to an entrance
of the polling place building and facilities.
A) Walks and Sidewalks
i) The narrowest unobstructed width of walks
and sidewalks shall be 3'-0".
ii)
Walks and sidewalks shall be of a continuing common surface, not interrupted by
changes in level steeper than 1:20 and inconsistent with Section
209.30(d).
Surfaces shall be firm and stable. A firm surface is one that is made of
concrete, brick, packed gravel, asphalt, wood or other manmade
surface.
iii) Walks with gradients
steeper than 1:20 shall be considered as ramps and conform to the requirements
of Section
209.30(d)
of this Part. Ramps on walks shall not be steeper than 1:12.
iv) Walks with sustained gradients of no
greater than 1:20 shall have level areas of at least 5' in length at intervals
of not more than 110'.
v) No rigid
or hard object shall project into the space above a walk lower than 7'6"
measured from the surface.
vi)
Wherever walks and sidewalks intersect with other walks and sidewalks, parking
lots, driveways, or streets, the surfaces shall blend to a common level to
allow smooth passage of wheelchairs. (See Appendix A)
B) Parking
i) If parking areas are provided, pursuant to
a contractual agreement, as part of the premises used as a polling place by
voters, they shall have parking spaces specifically for the handicapped and an
accessible path of travel to the polling place building. There is no
requirement that parking be provided. If passenger loading zones are provided,
they shall be accessible to the handicapped and be close to the aforementioned
path of travel.
ii) If parking
spaces for the handicapped are provided, they shall be marked to indicate that
they are reserved for disabled drivers, using the International Symbol for
Accessibility. Such markings shall be placed on a pole or wall mounted and may
be accompanied by markings painted on the surface (See Appendix C)
2) Entrances, Doors and
Doorways
A) At least one entrance (exit) to
the polling place building and rooms shall be accessible. The accessible
entrance to the polling place should be identified and marked using the
International Symbol for Accessibility. But, such marking is not required for
the facility to be considered accessible. (See Appendix C)
B) The floor on the inside and outside of
each doorway shall preferably be level, but may slope no more than
1:50.
C) Entrances shall have a
minimum clear width of 2'-8". This dimension shall be measured from the face of
the door to the face of the door stop. Where double doors are used, at least
one leaf shall allow a 2'-8" clear opening. (See Appendix B: Illustration
A)
D) The minimum space between two
hinged doors in a series shall be the width of the door swinging into the space
plus 4'-0". Door swings of doors in series shall open in the same direction.
Single doors hung in series shall be hinged at the same side.
E) At vestibules where doors are at right
angles to each other, the dimension between the wall with the inswinging door
and the facing wall shall be 6'-6" minimum. The minimum dimension in the other
direction shall be 5'-0".
F) If the
specifications in Subsections (3), (4) and (5) above cannot be satisfied, then
one of the two doors shall be securely fastened in an open position during the
hours when the polling place is open. (See Appendix B: Illustration
B)
G) The maximum height of
thresholds at exterior and interior doors shall be 1/2". Where there are
differences in floor level between rooms or spaces, the threshold shall be
sloped at no more than 1:20.
H)
Doors shall be operable without movements requiring a tight grasp, complex hand
movements, or the exertion of great force.
3) Interior Circulation Routes
A) There shall be an accessible path of
travel from an accessible entrance to the voting area.
B) The voting area in the polling place
building shall be served from an accessible entrance by at least one path of
travel that does not have stairs or escalators.
C) The minimum clear width of halls,
corridors, passageways and aisles shall be 3'-0".
D) No rigid or hard objects shall project
into the space above a path of travel unless the dimension from the bottom edge
of the object to the walk surface is at least 7'-6".
4) Ramps
A)
If possible, alternative design solutions to ramps should be provided because
of the substantial energy demands required to negotiate them by those in
wheelchairs, plus the difficulties encountered by amputees and others with gait
problems on ascent and descent. Ramps shall allow unrestricted traffic flow,
and be free of hazards. All ramps constructed or temporarily installed in a
polling place building shall meet the requirements of this Part.
B) Any part of a circulation path shall be
considered a ramp if it has a slope that is greater than 1:20. The following
table gives allowable slopes and maximum lengths.
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Allowable Slope
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Maximum Rise in a Single Ramp
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Total Number of Ramp Segments Permitted
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Maximum Length of a Single Ramp Segment
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Total Length of Ramp Permitted
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1:8
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6"
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1
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4' - 0"
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4' - 0"
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1:10
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9"
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1
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7' - 6"
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7' - 6"
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1:12
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2' - 6"
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Unlimited
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30' - 0"
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Unlimited
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1:16
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2' - 6"
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Unlimited
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40' - 0"
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Unlimited
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1:20
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2' - 6"
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Unlimited
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50' - 0"
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Unlimited
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C) All
ramps in a rampway shall have identical slopes. Ramps of 1:8 are permitted to
be used where the election authority determines that existing physical
constraints prevent the construction of more gradually sloped ramps and the
requirements of Subsection (2), above, are met.
D) All ramps with a rise greater than 9"
shall have handrails on both sides. Handrails shall be continuous along the
ramp segment.
E) Ramps shall have a
minimum clear width of 3'-0".
F)
Ramps shall have level platforms at the bottom and the top of each run, at
least 5'-0" long and be at least as wide as the ramp. Intermediate platforms
shall be 5'-0" minimum between each ramp segment. See above Table for the
maximum allowable lengths of ramp segments.
G) Intermediate turning platforms shall be a
minimum of 5'-0" in length and 7'-0" wide to allow wheelchair maneuvering
through 180 degrees, and at least 5'-0" long in both directions for turns of 90
degrees.
H) If doors open out onto
the ramp platform, a level area at least 5'-0" deep and 5'-0" wide shall be
provided.
I) The ramp surface shall
be slip resistant as set forth in 71 Ill. Adm. Code 400.1510(f).
J) No object shall be hung from above or the
sides that projects into a rampway lower than 7'-6" from the surface of the
ramp or landing. Below this height, no object shall project into a rampway
other than the handrails.
5) Elevators
If elevators are necessary to access the voting area, the
elevators shall be on an accessible route and shall comply with the American
National Standard Safety Code for Elevators, Dumbwaiters, Escalators, and
Moving Walks, ANSI A17.1 -1978 and A17.1a-1979 and include no later amendments
or additions.