§21061 Payments for Protection and Advocacy Systems

Summary

The Secretary of Health and Human Services must pay each State’s protection and advocacy system so people with disabilities can fully take part in elections, like registering, casting a ballot, and getting into polling places. These systems get the same powers they have under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act. Grant sizes follow rules in certain parts of section 794e of title 29, but grants for systems named in subsection (c)(3)(B) cannot be less than $70,000, and grants for systems named in subsections (c)(1)(B) and (c)(4) cannot be less than $35,000. State — meaning as defined in section 102 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act. American Indian consortium system — if funds were set aside for it under section 794e(c)(1)(B), it is eligible like a State system. Within 90 days after the first yearly appropriation under section 21062, the Secretary must set aside 7% of that money to pay eligible groups to give training and technical help for these election activities. The funds may be used to train and test voting systems and technology for people with disabilities, including blind voters, and at least one recipient must provide nonvisual access training. Eligible groups are public or private nonprofits with voting disability experience, have a board mostly made up of people with disabilities or their family members or blind people, and apply as the Secretary requires.