Authorities to improve voting for visually impaired

Department of Health changes will now enable local authorities to use records for those with vision impairments to support participation in electoral events.

A recommendation by the Minister for the Constitution Chris Skidmore means that those with vision impairments will have access to wider services which will assist them in voting at elections, given that consent has been given to do so. An accessible polling card is another step towards equal access to voting.

The changes mean that the Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI) process will be more effective to ensure that people who are newly certified as sight impaired or severely sight impaired receive the appropriate support.

Skidmore said: “Our reform of the Certificate of Vision Impairment will mean that, for the first time, local authorities will be able to contact those who hold a CVI in order to ask whether they need any extra help or support when it comes to registering to vote, or participating in our elections. We want to ensure that our elections are as accessible as possible, and to remove any barriers that exist to democratic participation - every voice matters and we want ours to be a democracy that works for everyone.”