The poll panel failed to fulfill its pledge to make the booths PwD-friendly

The Disability Rights Alliance in Tamil Nadu has called on the State Election Commission (SEC) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) to make sure that voting places are handicapped accessible as the Lok Sabha election draws near.

The alliance outlined flaws in the current system and offered several suggestions to be put into place before to the election in a representation given before the ECI.

arguing that efforts to make elections more accessible and inclusive have not advanced, The alliance’s Vaishnavi Jayakumar said, “ECI’s minimum assured facilities are only on paper.”

The ECI published the accessible elections strategy framework in 2018. Activists contend that it was not being executed correctly, however. “TN has made several noteworthy moves, but there is still more work to be done. Since 2021, the State Steering Committee on Accessible Election has not met, according to Vaishnavi.

Before the election, all polling places must undergo an accessibility assessment per the regulations. Activists claim that most booths do not adequately supply wheelchairs or ramps. “Until the voting chamber, there shouldn’t be any obstacles on the ramps. However, they are often only available at the doors, according to activist and Spinal Injured Persons Association founder Gnana Bharathi.

In order to guarantee accessible elections, they also recommended the SEC to establish committees at the state and district levels. While postal votes for PwD have been guaranteed by the ECI, procedural bottlenecks continue to be an obstacle. Currently, the authorities provide postal ballot forms to the residence. However, there are a few limitations.

Disability certificates are required for postal votes, but they are not required to register for the roll. Those who do not have them will not be able to use the facility, according to alliance activist Smitha Sadasivan.