Historical changes in the Electoral Code for people with visual impairments
Member of Parliament Ivan Yanev announced important steps towards full accessibility of the electoral process. Through changes in legislation, the state is committed to guaranteeing the secrecy of the vote for people with visual impairments through the use of modern technologies.
The secrecy of the vote, which until now has been a "shared secret," will now be fully protected through new voting machine functionalities.
- Voice instructions: Software solutions that will allow the machines to "speak."
- Interface settings: The ability to increase font size, which also facilitates elderly voters.
- Tactile templates: Special assistive tools for those voting with paper ballots.
Why do the changes come into force in 2027?
Despite the adopted texts, implementation requires time. The Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee, Yanka Tyankova, clarified that the current machines need additional software, the development and implementation of which cannot be completed by this year's presidential elections. Therefore, the full integration of the features is planned for the local elections in 2027.