About 44,237 people with disability (PWD) voters will exercise their franchise in Visakhapatnam district on Thursday. The election officials said that that special arrangements had been made to ensure that the people with disability had a smooth voting experience.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has allotted the nearest polling booths to the PWD voters. Wheel-chairs and helpers will be made available for the convenience of the voters. Dedicated ramps have been set up at pooling booths, the officials added.
For the visually impaired, Braille voting system have been introduced. “Braille ballot papers with names and symbols of the candidates will be available at booths and the voters will be allowed to read the symbols and serial number of the candidates before entering the voting compartments,” Joint Collector G. Srijana said. Assistants will help the visually impaired voters exercise their franchise, she added.
Transport facility
Meanwhile, the authorities have roped in several auto-rickshaws to ferry the PWD voters to the pooling booths in special cases.
“There are some PWD voters who can’t reach the pooling stations without help. Such cases have been identified and we will send auto-rickshaws to pick them up. After they cast their votes, they will be dropped back at their residences,” District Disability Welfare Wing Assistant Director Venkateswara Rao told The Hindu.