Canadians
are headed to the polls on September 20 to exercise their democratic right to
vote, either at advanced polls, using a mail-in ballot, or on election day. But
for Canadians with sight loss, voting isn’t as simple as walking into a voting
booth or requesting a mail-in ballot and checking off a name.
This is particularly problematic in the
context of the COVID-19 pandemic when many Canadians will choose to vote using
the mail-in ballot process. Elections Canada predicts that as many as 4 million
Canadians will choose the mail-in ballot during a pandemic election.
However, the 1.5 million Canadians who
are blind or partially sighted cannot avail themselves of this option as
mail-in ballots do not come with the accessible tools and services available at
polling locations that can help an elector with a print disability
independently mark their ballot.
Elections Canada has made some
improvements over the years, including tactile overlay templates, braille and
large print lists of candidates, and magnifying glasses for electors with sight
loss – but there is still so much work to be done to ensure Canadians with
sight loss can independently mark and verify their ballots.
“Canadians with sight loss still don’t
have the ability to mark and independently verify their ballots,” says Duane
Morgan, executive director of CNIB Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick,
who regularly consults with Elections Canada’s Advisory Group for Disability
Issues. “Sighted Canadians can vote in secret, but individuals who are blind
must show their ballots to a sighted person to make sure it’s marked the way
they want. That has to change and there’s no reason why it can’t.”
CNIB has made several recommendations to
Members of Parliament, Senators, and Elections Canada to improve the
accessibility of the voting process for electors with sight loss, such as
implementing telephone voting for electors with disabilities, and electronic
voting tabulators with audio output – similar to processes implemented in
provinces and municipalities across the country.
“It’s 2021, we’re living in a digital
age, but we’re still relying on lead pencils and paper ballots for the most
fundamental right of a free society,” says Lui Greco, Manager of Regulatory
Affairs with the CNIB. “The legislation and voting process in this country
needs to keep pace with technology and federal accessibility legislation to
enable everyone to cast their ballot in a way that works for them.”
Technology can level the playing field
for voters who are blind or partially sighted. In the 2019 federal election,
some voters cast their ballots independently with a magnifying device behind
the voting screen, while others could have used applications on their
smartphones. However, this was not widely used because there were no official
policies and procedures in place, and some voters – especially seniors – did
not have access to smartphones.
If the 2021 federal election is not
fully accessible for all Canadians, CNIB urges the federal government to make
this the last federal election that is inaccessible for Canadians with sight
loss.
Click HERE for the full press release.
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