DRM’s PAVA program aims to ensure individuals with disabilities can fully participate in the electoral process.
What is the PAVA program?
The Protection & Advocacy for Voting Accessibility (PAVA) program was established in 2003 as part of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which was signed on October 29, 2002. HAVA provides funding for accessible voting systems. It guarantees the right to a private and independent vote for people with disabilities. Under the PAVA program, P&As have a mandate to help ensure that individuals with disabilities participate in the electoral process through voter education, training of poll officials, registration drives, and polling place accessibility surveys.
PAVA empowers DRM to:
- Inform individuals with disabilities about their voting rights through events, institutions, and online platforms.
- Facilitate voter registration and conduct training sessions.
- Manage a dedicated voting hotline and email for receiving voter complaints and aiding in the investigation of obstacles faced by individuals with disabilities in exercising their voting rights.
- Investigate circumstances that may hinder individuals with disabilities from voting.
- Actively engage in and bolster coalitions dedicated to advancing voting rights.
- Offer testimonies in favor of legislation supporting the voting rights of people with disabilities, and oppose bills that run counter to these rights.
Upcoming Elections in Maryland
In 2024, Marylanders will have an opportunity to vote in both a Primary Election on May 19, 2024 and General Election, November 5, 2024.
The deadline to register to vote in the Primary Election is April 23, 2024. The deadline to register to vote in the General Election is October 15, 2024.
Information about how to register, accessibility and more: Here
