Alliance of the Blind: Independent, secret and dignified voting enabled for the first time

The Association of the Blind of Montenegro expressed its satisfaction that by providing adequate templates for voting, independent, secret and dignified voting of visually impaired persons was made possible for the first time in the presidential elections.

"The State Election Commission (SEC) has provided templates in dark blue color with an inserted metal part for all polling stations in Montenegro, which fully complied with the amendments to the by-laws adopted in March 2022," the Association of the Blind of Montenegro announced.

It is still noticeable that the members of the polling boards are insufficiently informed, so the templates for voting could often not be found on the table, as expected, but in envelopes or packages, which is why it is more difficult to find them when visually impaired voters arrive at the polling station, they added. from that Alliance.

"Once again, we appeal for more adequate education of election board members regarding the use of election materials," they said.

They note that in addition to adequate templates, informational brochures in Braille were also found at all polling stations, so visually impaired people could familiarize themselves with the content of the ballot.

"In these elections, progress is evident when it comes to providing elements of accessibility for visually impaired people, since ethison tapes were placed at certain, but not all, polling stations that make it easier for visually impaired people to move independently within the polling station", they pointed out from Association of the Blind.

They pointed out that in some polling stations the ethison tapes were not properly installed.

"They are not installed from the entrance to the polling station, to the table where the polling committee sits, then to the voting booth and the ballot box, and this segment needs to be improved in order for the ethison tapes to fulfill their essential purpose, because only the formal provision of elements of accessibility does not contribute to independence. a visually impaired person," they added.

They stated that there is still room for improvement in this area.

"We are pleased with the fact that during this election process, no significant cases of discrimination and violation of the rights and basic dignity of visually impaired persons were recorded," said the Association.

The Association of the Blind of Montenegro hopes that examples of good practice will be witnessed in the second election round, as well as in all election cycles.