This November, Iowans will enter their local community centers, school buildings, and even some businesses to cast their ballots in city and school elections. Many communities have special elections coming up, and the June primary elections leading to the midterm elections in 2026 are on the horizon for many Iowa elections officials and candidates. 

No matter the election, Iowans have many different methods when it comes time to cast their ballots. 

Whether Iowans with disabilities head to their polling place on Election Day, or they cast their ballot early at their county elections office, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that their voting location be accessible. 

From June through September 2025, Disability Rights Iowa reviewed 144 polling places in all 99 counties across the state. These reviews focused on the exteriors of the polling places: parking, pathways, and entrances. Of the locations reviewed:

• 82% had an adequate number of properly marked accessible parking. 
• 81% had pathways that were flat and clear of cracks, potholes, or steep slopes.
• 78% had building entrance thresholds that were accessible.

There are approximately 1,600 polling places across the state of Iowa, the 144 locations DRI reviewed constitute about 1% of the state’s polling places. This report offers a broad view of the exterior of Iowa’s polling places surveyed and outlines the ADA’s requirements that ensure voters with disabilities can access the vote. 

This review covers only a small measure of accessibility throughout the voting experience. Other aspects of voting accessibility include physical accessibility inside the polling place, ensuring accessible ballot-marking devices are set up, and making sure the contents of the ballot are accessible for individuals with cognitive disabilities. 

Beginning in 1965, several federal laws were implemented to ensure that Americans with disabilities have equal opportunity to vote. These federal laws are:[i]

• The Voting Rights Act of 1965
• The Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984
• The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
• The National Voter Registration Act of 1993
• The Help America Vote Act of 2002

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures that all U.S. citizens with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote. This includes all parts of the voting process, from registration to ballot-casting.

On July 27, 2025, Americans celebrated the ADA’s 35^th year. Despite this landmark federal disability civil rights law, individuals with disabilities still encounter barriers in the voting process.  A 2022 Rutgers survey sponsored by the US Election Assistance Commission found that 14% of Americans with disabilities had trouble voting in that year’s election, compared to 4% of Americans without disabilities[ii]. The study found a 1.5% gap in turnout between voters with disabilities (50.8%) and voters without disabilities (52.4%). The survey found “if people with disabilities voted at the same rate as people without disabilities who have the same demographic characteristics, there would be about 2.0 million more voters.”[iii]

A July 2024 report found that 402,615 Iowans report having a disability, which totals about 12.8 percent of the population. As many as 29.9 percent of Iowans 65 and older report having a disability.[iv] The disability community is one that anyone can find themselves a part of at different points throughout their lives.  Lack of accessibility is a concern for all Iowans.   

In 2024, DRI reviewed all state auditor websites to review the different types of buildings that serve as polling places in Iowa. Government buildings, such as city halls, courthouses, and community centers, are common polling locations. Churches also constitute a great number of polling places across the state. Some Iowans cast their votes at private businesses, including hotels and private event centers. Some of these businesses and all churches are exempt from the ADA during regular operations.

Common barriers

When churches or other ADA-exempt organizations act as polling places on Election Day, they must modify all barriers to access that exist. The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division reports the following five physical areas as having unique accessibility considerations[v]:

• Parking
• Pathways (sidewalks and walkways)
• Entrances
• Hallways
• Voting Areas

DRI reviewed the exteriors of polling places; thus, this report focuses on parking, sidewalks and walkways, and building entrances.

In reviewing a polling location for exterior accessibility, DRI accessed the parking, pathways to the entrance, and the building entrances.

DRI audit results

• About 82% of the polling places DRI reviewed had accessible parking lots. 
• 104 of the 144 polling places had off-street parking available.
• 85 of those 104 parking areas were accessible:
  • 1 accessible parking spot per 25 available spots
  • Obvious signage and well-maintained parking lanes 
  • Set on level, stable, firm, slip-resistant ground
• Clear of gravel, mud, and weeds 
• About 68% of the parking lots had at least one van-accessible parking spot.

The ADA requires that the path of travel from the accessible parking area to the accessible entrance be a path that is a minimum of 36 inches wide, stable, firm and slip resistant, and with no abrupt level changes, extreme slopes, potholes, or cracks.

All objects along the pathway that may prevent accessibility must be removed, i.e., garbage cans, rugs, recycling bins, tree branches, etc. 

If a pathway has a slope that is greater than 1 inch of rise over 20 inches, a ramp with a rise of 1 inch over 20 inches or less must be installed to mitigate these issues. If the path to the entrance includes a curb that does not have a curb ramp that is 36 inches wide with a slope of less than 1 inch over 12 inches of rise, this must be remediated as well.  If a path contains a crack, pothole, or other barrier that is more than ½ inches, a temporary plate must be placed over it.

DRI Audit Results

84% of main entrances also served as the accessible entrance.

• 23 of 144 entrances required individuals to use an alternative entrance for handicap accessibility
• 97.5% of entrances did not require the use of stairs, and 100% of entrances requiring the use of stairs had ramps
• 27 of 144 entrances contained a threshold more than ½ inch high and/or lacked a bevel (a piece of angled material to help a wheel get over a threshold easily)
• 7.6% of doors contained a lever or doorknob that required pinching or twisting
• 8.3% of entrances did not have a level area in front of the door

Other observations during audits included obstructive objects or poles in the area surrounding the doorway. One entryway included a post for automatic door-opening buttons; however, the placement of the post disrupted the entryway clearance. Steep slopes to the entrance and landings with concrete in a state of disrepair were other cited issues.

Possible ADA Fixes

ADA compliance emphasizes that accessibility can be achieved independently so that a person with a disability is not dependent on others for assistance. Temporary solutions to remove accessibility barriers on Election Day for entrances include:

• Install temporary levers or other adapters that do not require tight grasping, inching, or twist.
• Install a doorbell or buzzer system to alter a poll worker to open the door for the voter.
• Prop open a door for the duration of voting hours (ensure the door stop mechanism does not interfere with the entrance width)
• Install temporary ramp that feeds directly into the entrance
  • If the ramp height will be less than 6 inches, no handrails are needed
  • If the ramp height will be more than 6 inches, handrails and edge protection are required
• Install a bevel where thresholds are greater than ½ inch.
• Direct individuals to a stairless (and otherwise accessible) entrance to the building

Recommendations

Disability Rights Iowa recommends elections staff at each polling location complete their own accessibility survey using the ADA polling place accessibility checklist. Interior accessibility is just as important as exterior accessibility, and elections staff are in a good position to thoroughly review the interior of each site.

Poll workers should promptly let their county auditor know if adjustments need to be made, like adding temporary plates, ramps, signage, or other tools that will ensure accessibility.

Disability Rights Iowa is a resource for staff who have questions about accessibility at their sites, from parking to the accessible ballot-marking device. For more resources with helpful descriptions and explanations about accessibility, review the “Resources” section of this report.