(1) If an election administrator desires to designate as a polling place a location that is inaccessible, the election administrator shall make a request in writing to the secretary of state asking that an inaccessible polling place be exempt from the standards for accessibility.
(2) The secretary of state may grant an exemption pursuant to rules adopted under 13-3-205 if all potential polling places have been surveyed and it is determined that:
(a) an accessible polling place is not available and the county or school district cannot safely or reasonably make a polling place temporarily accessible in the area involved; or
(b) the location is a rural polling place and designation of an accessible facility as a polling place will require excessive travel or impose other hardships for the majority of qualified electors in the precinct or school district.