Formula Grant 2601MSPAVA

Disability Rights Mississippi received a $188,180 formula grant award from the Administration on Disabilities under the Voting Access for Individuals with Disabilities-Grants for Protection and Advocacy Systems program (CFDA 93.618) effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2030. The grant supports comprehensive voting access initiatives designed to ensure full electoral participation for individuals with disabilities throughout Mississippi. Key services and activities include voter education and registration assistance, ballot access support, polling place accessibility guidance, training for election officials and poll workers on disability rights and best practices, technical assistance regarding Help America Vote Act (HAVA) implementation, and support for individuals with disabilities filing complaints or pursuing grievance procedures related to voting access barriers.

As the state's designated Protection and Advocacy System, Disability Rights Mississippi will utilize grant funding to provide direct assistance to voters with disabilities, deliver training and education on accessible voting equipment and non-visual access technologies, offer guidance to state and local governmental entities on polling place physical accessibility improvements, and pursue advocacy efforts to promote electoral participation for individuals with disabilities. The annual formula grant is distributed by the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living to all state and territorial Protection and Advocacy Systems, with funds obligated on an ongoing annual basis through the award completion date.