Ill. Admin. Code tit. 26 § 209.30

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 2, January 10, 2025

Section 209.30 - Guidelines for Accessibility

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.

Allowable Slope		Maximum Rise in a Single Ramp			Total Number of Ramp Segments Permitted		Maximum Length of a Single Ramp Segment			Total Length of Ramp Permitted
	1:8	6"			1		4' - 0"			4' - 0"
	1:10	9"			1		7' - 6"			7' - 6"
	1:12	2' - 6"			Unlimited		30' - 0"			Unlimited
	1:16	2' - 6"			Unlimited		40' - 0"			Unlimited
	1:20	2' - 6"			Unlimited		50' - 0"			Unlimited

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.

Ill. Admin. Code tit. 26, § 209.30