The Rights of Individuals with Disabilities Act 2016 mandates accessibility of the electoral course of for each Indian with a incapacity. Here is a step-by-step information on the way you, or somebody you already know, can train their voting proper.

Kavya had simply turned 19 and was excited. 

Not as a result of she was older however as a result of she would train her proper to vote that yr.

Nonetheless, on polling day, she visited the sales space along with her household and her pleasure waned. The polling station was not accessible for a individual with a incapacity. With stairs main as much as the EVMs, she questioned how she would solid her vote.

One of many officers on obligation lastly guided her to the again entrance which he claimed had a ramp connected. She rolled down the best way solely to seek out two flimsy picket planks bridging an virtually foot-long distinction. With 4 individuals supporting her wheelchair, and a heavy feeling of being let down, Kavya solid her vote. 

However did she really feel like an equal citizen?

India is dwelling to the most important inhabitants of individuals with disabilities. Nearly 2.21 % of its inhabitants has some sort of incapacity. The Rights of Individuals with Disabilities Act, which was applied in 2016, mandates accessibility of the electoral course of beneath Part 11 of the Act.

It bestows the accountability on the Election Fee of India to make sure that all polling stations are accessible, with all essential materials associated to the method obtainable. 

In line with the Press Data Bureau, as many as 6.2 million voters have disabilities out of the 910 million individuals eligible to solid their vote. The identical report states that the motto of the Normal Elections of 2019 was ‘Accessible Elections’ and several other measures starting from mapping electors with disabilities to their nearest polling stations, putting in ramps, having Braille-embossed Electoral Photograph Id Playing cards and Digital Voting Machines (EVMs), transportation services and signal language interpreters to make the method simpler. 

In a 2019 op-ed in The Hindustan Instances, George Abraham, a social entrepreneur, inspirational speaker and incapacity activist, shared his expertise of casting his vote together with his spouse, who escorted him. He was requested to replenish type 49A since he didn’t know Braille and relied on the help of his partner to help him. 

“Within the following weeks, my colleagues and I spoke to a number of blind and visually impaired individuals from throughout the nation concerning their voting expertise. Many have been appreciative of the ECI’s efforts in making these elections accessible, whereas some cribbed of insensitive officers. There have been just a few cubicles the place the Braille checklist of candidates was lacking. However general, these elections have been an incredible enchancment so far as inclusion of individuals with disabilities was involved,” he notes within the article. 

Over the previous few years, the decision for accessible elections by civil society organisations in addition to from throughout the ECI has turn out to be stronger. 

“The momentum of accessible elections received excessive inside ECI in addition to throughout the nation when Nationwide Voters Day in 2018 embraced its theme as Accessible Elections. At ECI, we had steady discussions and labored on all attainable facilitations on the polling stations to make sure hassle-free voting by our residents with disabilities, thereby ECI issued a set of notifications/ circulars on the identical to all Chief Election Officers. I additionally facilitated the inclusion of individuals with disabilities throughout the system to the bottom stage by means of their inclusion in Committees for accessible elections from nationwide to state, district, and AC ranges,” says Smitha Sadasivan, who works as an Accessibility Advisor within the Incapacity Laws Unit of Vidya Sagar in Chennai. 

Though efforts have been made by the Authorities to go away nobody behind, gaps nonetheless exist. 

“Proper now, the gaps are in the appropriate understanding of accessibility itself, its requirements and facilitations on the floor stage for which lots of capability constructing is required throughout the election equipment,” Smitha provides.

Whereas 2019 was termed because the Yr of Accessible Elections, this yr is one step forward with the federal government now providing the ability to ‘Vote from Dwelling’ or VfH to individuals with disabilities over 40%, and people aged 80 and above. 

Beginning this yr’s Lok Sabha Elections, individuals with disabilities in addition to senior residents over 85 can register to vote from their properties utilizing a postal poll. This lodging is just prolonged to individuals who register to take action upfront. The voters making use of this amenity have to have applicable paperwork proving their incapacity/age. 

The method to register is as follows:

• 1. Just remember to have the mandatory paperwork. For individuals with incapacity, this might be a Distinctive Incapacity Identification Card (UDID) and a sound proof of age matching the voter checklist with their Polling Sales space for Senior Residents.

• 2. Fill a Type 12D – Letter of intimation to Assistant Returning Officer (for absentee voters) and submit it to your respective Sales space Degree Officers. You possibly can obtain the shape utilizing this hyperlink.

• 3. Following this, the Sales space Degree Officers out of your polling sales space will go to your property as soon as after the final date for withdrawal of nominations.

• 4. Within the occasion that the voter isn’t obtainable at dwelling, they are going to return as soon as extra earlier than 26 April (the final day of polling for this cycle of elections). If the voter isn’t obtainable for the second time as nicely, they are going to lose their alternative to vote.

• 5. Please remember that as soon as a voter has utilized for a postal poll, they not have the choice to vote in individual on the polling sales space.

These postal ballots might be counted individually from the votes solid at polling cubicles and might be carried by the Sales space Degree Officers in a sealed envelope to make sure secrecy.

In case you want any extra particulars about services for PwD voters, you may get them on the ECI’s official web page right here. 

If you happen to want to communicate to a consultant from the Election Fee of India, you possibly can name at 1950 between 9 am and 9 pm.

(Contributed by V-shesh; Edited by Padmashree Pande)