A voting plan has been created for the voters with disabilities in the upcoming election, to ensure that they will not be deprived of their voting rights, said U Tun Aung Khaing from Kachin State Election Sub-Commission Office.
The voting plan covers two options—voting in person at the polling stations or advance voting.
“There are two options for the voters with disabalities. The first option is they themselves can cast their ballots at the polling stations. The second option is they can cast their advance votes at their homes, if they are unable to come to the township election sub-commission offices,” he added.
The voters with disabilities are required to contact the relevant ward and village-tract election sub-mission for advance voting. Two members of the relevant ward and village-tract election sub-commission will collect advance votes door to door, two days before the election he continued.
“Waiting in line at the polling stations like the ordinary persons, makes it very difficult for the persons with physical disabilities. It will be more suitable if polling station officers and the relevant government officials can fix a specific time for them to cast their ballots,” said U Zone Hsaung, Chair of Kachin State the Persons with Disabilities Association.
Many persons with disabilities lost their voting rights in the previous elections due to the lack of negotiations with the polling station officers.
In the 2015 General Elections and by-elections, Kachin State Election Sub-Commission fixed the seperate times for voting by the people with disabalities, in negotiation with the principal of the School for the Blind, U Tun Aung Khaing continued.
The voters with disablities are allowed to bring one family member along when they come to the polling station.
A total of 19 political parties will compete in the upcoming election in Kachin State. There are more than 1,080,000 eligible voters in Kachin State, where the voters with disabilities account for more than 2,000.
