News
A more inclusive election
View(s):By Dilushi Wijesinghe
The system was piloted in the 2020 parliamentary election in Nuwara Eliya. “The pilot ballot was a plastic tactile ballot frame which was developed in consultation with persons with visual disabilities. In the meantime, the election commission also visited other countries and observed elections there, especially Maldives, and they got samples from Malaysia as well. Then they finally designed a tactile ballot which is made of cardboard,” IFES Program Officer Anojitha Sivaskaran said.
A new feature will help visually impaired persons to cast their vote. Pix by Eshan Fernando
IFES and USAID, together with the Election Commission, conducted a training session accommodating around 47 persons with visual impairments in Colombo, providing sample ballot papers and the tactile ballot guide. “During previous consultations before the development of tactile ballot guide, we found that not everyone is literate. Some don’t know how to mark the cards or they don’t know how to write 1, 2, 3. The election commission also provided them exercise cards on how to write 1, 2, 3 as well to practice and write within the boxes,” she said.
“According to the current law in Sri Lanka, we can’t make any changes in the ballot paper, So we can’t print braille letters on the ballot paper. So what the Election Commission has done is develop a folding cover. They are small cards in a box shape. Voters can count those box cards, and then if they want to mark for, let’s say, person number 3 then they have to count it as 1st box card, 2nd box card, 3rd box card and mark ‘1’.”
Ms Sivaskaran describes the tactile ballot guide as “more like an exercise book” as the voter has to put the ballot paper inside the guide, and then close it in order to count the box cards.
The Election Commission has developed audios in three languages for persons with visual disabilities and also in sign language for easy access by persons hard of hearing. “The audio will read out the whole ballot paper,” Ms Sivaskaran said.
Addressing the challenges faced for the system to be implemented, Ms Sivaskaran said that lacking accurate data on persons with disabilities posed a challenge. “The Election Commission has introduced an online data collection system, but because of lack of awareness, not everyone gets registered,” she said, adding that impact on the cost and the printing quality were two of their main concerns. Furthermore, the Election Commission has conducted training on basic sign language for their officers (polling staff). There will also be posters in sign language for the first time.
Although the introduction of the tactile ballot guide is in place for the presidential election, the previous system of assisted voting is available as an alternative option. The assisting party should be above 18 years of age, and should acquire prior approval from the grama niladhari, while the voter requires verification of disability from a medical officer. The senior presiding officer of the polling station bears witness during assisted voting.
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