Disabled voters’ access issues remain unaddressed
Four organisations had requested that people with visual and hearing disabilities be able to vote and have access to information related to voting.
The Elections Commission (EC) has not made arrangements for people with disabilities to ensure their right to vote in the Maldives, rights organisations said Thursday.
Three organisations issued a joint statement calling for steps to ensure the voting rights of people with disabilities during the council elections and referendums. The organisations are the Blind and Visually Impaired Society of Maldives, Maldives Deaf Association, Transparency Maldives, and Maldives Local Council Association.
A Transparency Maldives official told Dhauru that the EC responded to the requests by stating that there was no budget to implement the measures. As of yesterday, the associations said that no arrangements had been made.
“After that statement, the only action taken was the conduct of training programmes for the visually impaired. Templates were said to be placed only at registered locations,” the official said.
Four organisations had requested that people with visual and hearing disabilities be able to vote and have access to information related to voting.
Barriers to voting for people with hearing disabilities include the absence of Maldivian sign language in election announcements and awareness videos. Information on voter registration, re-registration, and polling stations is not accessible to many. Information regarding the purpose of the opinion poll held alongside the council elections is also limited.
Many Maldivians with hearing disabilities use English in writing, and the absence of ballot papers in English presents difficulties in voting. Requests to include candidate photographs on ballot papers have not been implemented.
Barriers affecting people with visual impairments have also been identified. The use of a voting template was required by law from the 2023 presidential election, but an amendment to the General Election Rules requires separate registration. This requirement has not been widely communicated.
In the absence of a register of visually impaired voters, responsibility falls on individuals to identify polling stations where templates are available. Information on the availability of templates and the need for separate registration has not been sufficiently disseminated. Information regarding the consultation vote held with the council elections has also not been adequately provided.
The opinion poll scheduled for next Saturday seeks to determine whether Parliament will ratify a constitutional amendment to reduce the current parliamentary term by five months and 27 days and to hold parliamentary elections alongside presidential elections.
