St. Paul, MN -- Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie today (Thursday, Jan. 28) announced that his office is contacting local governments to award the 2009 Election Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities ("EAID") grants for polling place accessibility improvements.

He also announced that additional federal grant funds are now available for local jurisdictions who would like to install automatic doors at their polling locations.

"It is great news that there are additional grant monies available in 2010," said Ritchie.  "I am pleased that we are able to offer grants to local governments again this year, to improve the voting experiences for voters."

The EAID grants are provided through the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002. Funds must be used to improve polling place accessibility for voters with disabilities, not for general improvements to structures.  The office anticipates the ability to provide larger grant awards for automatic door installation projects this year to cover a greater portion of the total installation costs.

"I encourage local governments to contact my office regarding these grants," Ritchie said, "Everyone who is eligible to vote should have full access to the polls and not have to face accessibility barriers to cast their ballots. I applaud local officials for their efforts in making Minnesota's polling places more accessible."

In the past, the federal government provided funds to the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State for the purposes of improving polling place accessibility for disabled voters.  Local governments used these funds for polling places improvement projects, such as automatic door openers, disability parking spaces, accessible voting booths and magnifiers to permit privacy and independence for voters.

The application deadline is March 19 for the 2010 EAID grants.  Decisions regarding grant awards will be announced in late April. Local governments interested in learning more about the grant application process and deadlines should contact Adam Aanerud in the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State's Elections Division at: 651-215-1440.  Information is also available online at: http://www.sos.state.mn.us.