Bengaluru: In a bid to make the election process more inclusive and considerate to the physically challenged and in the hopes of increasing voter turnout, the Election Commission (EC) has begun to undertake a few initiatives to make polling easier for them.
The first of these initiatives is the provision of Braille EPIC cards to the visually impaired which is to be used in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Three persons, Basavaraj from Kalaburgi, Irappa Hejagar from Belagavi and Vina from Davangere, received these custom made Braille EPIC cards from Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha and Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka Sanjiv Kumar.
Even though the three had voted in the recently held Assembly elections, they were pleased with the attempts made by the authorities to accommodate those of the electorate with physical disabilities.
Another initiative by the EC that has already been announced, is the establishment of auxiliary polling stations for the physically challenged. To facilitate a smoother election process, they have decided to appoint coordinators at the constituency, district and state levels.
Apart from this, the EC plans to release election-related awareness materials in formats more accessible to those with disabilities, and also launch an app for them. People with disabilities and their attendants will also get access to free transport on polling days.
