In a complaint filed Thursday with the U.S. Department of Justice, advocates with the Disability and Abuse Project said that California judges are routinely restricting the voting rights of adults with disabilities who are under limited conservatorships, also known as guardianships.
Judges are using literacy tests to determine if individuals should be allowed to vote in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the complaint alleges. What’s more, advocates say that court-appointed attorneys representing people with disabilities have been instructed by judges that individuals under limited conservatorships cannot receive assistance in completing voter registration forms or ballots.
“What is happening in Los Angeles is the tip of the iceberg,” said attorney Thomas F. Coleman, who filed the complaint. “The problem of voting rights violations of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is not isolated to Los Angeles. Such civil rights violations are occurring elsewhere in California. Indeed, this is happening in many states throughout the nation.”