Sec. 1. 21-A MRSA §630, as amended by PL 1997, c. 436, §91, is further amended to read:

§630. Accessible voting places for the physically handicapped

1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context indicates otherwise, the following terms have the following meanings:

A. "Accessible voting place" means a voting place in a building in which the part of the building set aside for voting meets the requirements for accessible routes of the 1981 standards of construction described in Title 25, chapter 331.

B. "Physical handicap" means an impairment which confines an individual to a wheelchair; causes an individual to walk with difficulty; affects the sight or hearing to the extent that an individual functioning in public areas is insecure or exposed to danger; or causes faulty coordination or reduces mobility, flexibility, coordination and perceptiveness to the extent that special facilities are needed to provide for the safety of that individual.

2. Voting places. Each municipality must provide at least one voting place that is in a building, which ensure that each voting place is an accessible voting place as defined in subsection 1.

B. In municipalities in which one or more voting places are inaccessible to handicapped voters and in which the office of the clerk is in a building that is accessible as defined in subsection 1, paragraph A, the municipal officers shall designate the office of the clerk as an alternative voting place for physically handicapped voters who reside in voting districts that do not have accessible voting places. In municipalities in which one or more voting places and the office of the clerk are inaccessible to physically handicapped voters and in which one or more voting places are accessible to these voters, the municipal officers shall designate one of these accessible voting places, as centrally located as possible, as the alternative voting place for physically handicapped voters who reside in voting districts that do not have accessible voting places. A physically handicapped voter who wishes to vote at an alternative voting place must notify the clerk of the municipality at least 48 hours before the date of any election. This notice may be waived if an emergency exists. The clerk shall keep a list of the persons who give this notice.