Election officials will add Braille templates on ballots for the first time in an attempt to aid blind voters, one of many progressive changes meant to encourage participation in November’s elections among Myanmar’s disabled.
The Union Election Commission met with disabled rights advocates on Wednesday in Naypyidaw and approved several new policies, the Irrawaddy reported, quoting Nay Lin Soe, founder and director of the Myanmar Independent Living Initiative (MILI), a support group.
The Braille templates can be manually placed on ballots, taken off and reused. Other changes include informational sessions about the candidates 10 days before the poll in November, and the possibility of altering the voting booths to make access easier for those with physical disabilities.
However, some changes were nixed. The UEC shot down a proposal to televise voting procedures to the deaf in voting stations and to put photos of candidates on ballots, according to the Irrawaddy.
Photo: Nay Lin Soe via YouTube
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