The right to cast your vote independently and in private is a cornerstone of democracy, but it is a right that has until now been denied to blind and partially sighted people. While there is a long way to go, changes to electoral law that have just come into force do represent a major step forward and will hopefully encourage people to come out and vote in greater numbers than ever before. There are many barriers to voting that have been put in the way of blind and partially sighted people. In order to get people into polling stations these barriers have to be torn down.
Voting has to be made as easy as possible.
The lack of election information in an accessible format may turn some people off. Many prospective parliamentary candidates and party agents don t seem to realise that blind people s votes count too, and that not everyone reads standard print. Equally, some electoral registration officers need to learn a thing or two about accessible information - from election information to forms to polling cards. Getting to the polling station is another reason that blind and partially sighted may not vote. The changes that the Representation of the People Act bring in will not help here, but will help in several other areas.