For the first time in Belgium, blind and visually impaired people will be able to vote independently using ballot papers with Braille in two electoral districts on Sunday, Home Affairs Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) announced.
The electoral districts of Herk-de-Stad (Limburg province) with 45 polling stations and Namur (Namur province) with 140 polling stations will offer Braille copies of the ballot papers in every polling station – for the federal and regional elections, as well as the European ones.
"The right to vote is a fundamental right, so we must continue to work on accessible elections for all," Verlinden said in a press release. "With this important pilot project, blind people will now be able to vote completely independently for the first time in two electoral districts."
Inclusive elections
On the ballot paper itself, only the numbers of the lists and the numbers of the candidates are given in Braille, as there is too little space to display the candidates' full names, but the numbers of the lists and the candidates – with their full names in Braille – will be found by the voter together with the necessary instructions in a brochure given out during the voting.
That way, blind or visually impaired voters can cast their votes independently in the polling booth. The accompanying brochure is returned after voting and can be used by different people.
The pilot project was developed in cooperation with the Braille League, and several initiatives from abroad were studied. The Royal Decree on ballot papers has been amended so that voting via ballot papers with Braille is also valid.
The project will be thoroughly evaluated after the elections with a view to expanding this service "thoughtfully and practically" at subsequent elections, Verlinden said. "With this, we are taking another important step towards more inclusive elections."
