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Voting centres to be more disabled-friendly in future: Elections Chief
Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya said the experiences from the last two elections have shown that polling booths must have more facilities for physically challenged persons. “We did our best to provide facilities to those with physical disabilities, but more needs to be done,” he said.
A differently-abled person voting in Dambulla. Pic by Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa
The Commissioner said the law prohibiting the entry of unauthorised vehicles into polling centers, deprives physically disabled persons who have failed to get such permission from coming to the centers in vehicles. “Next time, I will seek assistance from three-wheeler associations to assist us transport people who have difficulty getting to polling booths, as well as seek assistance from voluntary organisations to volunteer with wheelchair assistance etc.,” he said.
Mr Deshapriya said that, for the first time, voting instructions were given in sign language, while a voluntary organisation had come forward to prepare the voting method in Braille for blind voters. Meanwhile, the Commissioner said the Dept is investigating a complaint against an election official whose assistance was sought by a disabled voter to mark the ballot paper, and later accused the official of marking for a party other than the one the voter wanted marked.
“At any polling booth, at least 10 people seek assistance from officials to mark their ballot papers. We had 12,000 polling booths, which meant at least 100,000 ballot papers are marked by our officials. Hence, occasionally, we get such complaints,” he admitted.
The Commissioner said that, at future elections, disabled people would have to come with their own aide, so that Elections officials would not have to face such allegations. He added that, under Sri Lankan law, people with mental illness are disqualified from voting.
“There was a complaint that people had been transported from the mental hospital in a bus and allowed to vote. These are people who had been mentally ill and are now cured. They have been abandoned by their families and now live at the hospital. The doctors have certified they are sane and hence, entitled to be registered as voters,” he added.