Report calls for improvements in accessibility of polling stations

An Assembly Committee inquiry into the accessibility of polling stations found examples of temporary ramps not properly installed, poor lighting which made voting more difficult for people with visual impairments and large print ballot papers not on display.

The Equality of Opportunity Committee carried out its inquiry in support of Scope’s campaign on accessible democracy, Polls Apart Cymru. The Committee’s final report, published today, concludes that most accessibility issues could be addressed through a combination of training, awareness raising, more effective use of resources and behavioral change.

The Committee found that local authorities have made efforts to improve the physical accessibility of polling stations and that access was better at the last Assembly election in 2007 than at previous elections, but there were still a range of problems faced by disabled people.

The report recommends that the Welsh Assembly Government should carry out regular accessibility surveys and encourage local authorities to make better use of resources and ensure all the necessary physical equipment is supplied to help accessibility. It also calls on councils to build links with local disability groups to help raise awareness, and to encourage their own disabled staff to make suggestions for improvements.

The Committee would also like to see the Electoral Commission incorporate a disability equality dimension to a number of the performance indicators for elections and referendums.

Ann Jones AM, Chair of the Committee, said: “I am very grateful to all the organisations who gave evidence to the inquiry, particularly Scope for their work in this area, and I hope the Welsh Assembly Government and local authorities will take these findings on board.

“The Members overwhelmingly agreed that disabled people should be able to choose how they vote; postal and electronic voting methods may offer alternatives which some people wish to take but those who wish to cast their vote in a polling station should be able to do so. We need to raise awareness of these issues so that disabled people are not disadvantaged in exercising their democratic right to vote.”