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Specially designed ballot papers prepared for blind voters
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All ready -- General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioners Arief Budiman (right) and Hadar Nafis Gumay (left) show templates and ballot papers using Braille for blind voters during a press conference in Jakarta on Jan. 4. (Antara/Reno Esnir)
O
ffices of the General Elections Commission (KPU) in several areas across Indonesia have prepared specially designed ballot papers that will allow blind and visually impaired people to vote during the regional elections on Feb.15.
KPU Yogyakarta spokesperson Farid Bambang Siswantoro said voters with disabilities would get special treatment to make it easier for them to cast ballots.
“Each polling station will get one ballot template for disabled voters. So, we will no longer use ballot papers using Braille because it may risk the secrecy of their votes,” he said on Wednesday.
According to KPU Yogyakarta data, 838 of the total of 306,525 voters in the city are disabled. Meanwhile, in Kulonprogo 1,135 of the 340,832 voters in the regency have disabilities.
“We are waiting for the delivery of ballot templates that will be used for blind voters,” said Farid.
Unlike in Yogyakarta, blind voters in Jambi will still use Braille ballot papers during the Feb.15 elections. The KPU Tebo has prepared ballot papers using the Braille alphabet for the 360 blind voters in the regency.
“The special ballot papers will be delivered to 669 polling stations,” KPU Tebo head Basri said on Wednesday.
During the voting day, he said, KPU Tebo would also prepare several people who would accompany blind and visually impaired voters to cast their ballots.
“We will also prepare personal statements they have to first sign before accompanying the disabled voters,” Basri said.The statements aimed to guarantee the secrecy of the voters’ ballots.
KPU Sarolangun head Ahya said specially designed ballot papers had been prepared for 147 disabled voters in the regency. The ballots would be readied in 586 polling stations. (ebf)
