EC to provide braille voter slips to visually impaired, blind voters in LS polls

Visually impaired and blind voters will be provided with braille voter slips in the Lok Sabha elections due this summer. Braille is a script with raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision.

It is a tactile reading and writing system used by blind and visually impaired people who cannot access print material. As part of its strategy framework for 'accessible elections', the commission has told all chief electoral officers to issue accessible photo voter slips with braille to voters who are visually impaired or blind.

The braille enabled slips were used in the recently held assembly elections also. Electronic voting machines already have the braille feature. The ballot paper pasted on the machine with name and symbol of candidates is braille enabled. The Election Commission also plans to provide braille election photo identity cards to visually challenged voters across the country.

(With inputs from agencies.)