Accessible Electoral Environment: QR Codes, Tactile Templates, and Remote Voting for People with Visual and Hearing Impairments

Representatives of institutions and the non-governmental sector discussed at the forum “Accessible Electoral Environment” measures to facilitate voting for people with visual and hearing impairments. The main highlights of the discussion were QR codes, tactile templates, and potential remote voting.

QR codes for information: The Ministry of Electronic Governance (MEU) has developed QR codes providing information about parties and candidates. These codes are designed to work with the settings of the personal devices of visually impaired voters, but are for informational purposes only and do not facilitate physical voting.

Tactile templates and audio: Proposals were presented for activating audio in voting machines and introducing tactile templates, which would help voters to navigate.

Remote voting: The MEU is working on a solution for remote voting for the visually impaired via mobile phones. According to the MEU, the vote is anonymous in the application. The Central Election Commission (CEC) emphasized that remote voting by the visually impaired is normatively impossible unless the idea is supported by parliament.

Criticism and challenges: Experts expressed concerns that QR codes could create an illusion of accessibility. It was noted that finding the code itself in the polling station could be a challenge for the visually impaired. The chairman of the Union of the Blind pointed out that a small percentage of their members master modern technologies.

The discussions highlighted the need for dialogue and the search for real solutions, as well as compliance with the regulatory framework.