15 polling stations for the blind will be opened in the Sverdlovsk region

The Election Commission in the Sverdlovsk Region will open 15 polling stations for the blind. Three thousand visually impaired people will be able to vote. TASS reports this.

The sites are organized near places of “compact residence” of the blind.

“For blind people, 15 polling stations will open in the Sverdlovsk region, seven of which will operate in Yekaterinburg. A voter with a disability will be allowed to enter the polling station with a guide dog. Now in Yekaterinburg they have published a special instruction written in Braille, which describes the rights of voters and the rules,” said the head of the election commission in the region, Sergei Krasnoperov.

Transportation will also be provided for the blind and visually impaired to get to the polling station. In addition, they will have the opportunity to vote at home.

“Either social services will organize transport for them, or they will get to the sites with the help of relatives. We also want to attract volunteers to accompany visually impaired people to polling stations. We are looking for volunteers from among students of local universities,” the press service of the election commission said.

To maintain the secrecy of voting, the election commission will produce special stencils with Braille.

“They [stencils] are placed on the ballots, and there is also the opportunity to vote at home. Each ballot has its own stencil,” explained Krasnoperov.

The single voting day will take place on September 18.

The “Help Needed” Foundation raises funds to help publish the only magazine in Russia and the CIS countries for people who cannot see or hear. “Your Interlocutor” is available in two versions: in regular font for those who have residual vision, and in Braille for the completely blind. TD talked about how people who have lost their sight live.