site.btaOmbudsman: Topic of Voting Rights for People with Sensory Disabilities Is Sensitive, Has Been Put Off

The issue of voting rights for people with sensory disabilities is a sensitive one that has long been neglected, Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva said at a forum on the electoral rights of people with visual and hearing impairments, held at the Ombudsman Institution in Sofia on Friday. The event focused on accessible information, technological solutions and voting conditions that safeguard the secrecy of the ballot and the right to an informed and independent choice.

Delcheva said that the Constitution and the law grant everyone the right to participate in elections, and it is important to create conditions for this right to be exercised with dignity and on an equal footing. Unfortunately, at present, the rights of people with disabilities are not a reality, she added.

At this time, significant changes are not possible, Delcheva said. She added that her predecessors in the institution had made recommendations in this regard, and Delcheva’s most recent recommendation dates from 2025. "We insisted on specific measures, providing sign language interpretation, including online, clear audio and visual signals during machine voting, access to information in Braille and audio format, guaranteeing the secrecy of the vote for the blind, conditions for accessible polling stations, and better organization of the process," she explained.

Delcheva expressed hope that concrete proposals would emerge from the forum. The Ombudsman committed to drafting a summary document to be submitted to the Central Election Commission, the Ministry of Electronic Governance, and the Prime Minister. "We will seek the active support of the members of the next parliament, because if amendments to the Election Code are necessary, we are aware that they will be made by parliament," she added.

Representatives of the Central Election Commission, the Ministry of Electronic Governance, experts from the Union of the Blind in Bulgaria, the Union of the Deaf in Bulgaria, the National Association of the Deafblind in Bulgaria, the National Community Center for the Blind Louis Braille 1928, Horizons Foundation, and other organizations working on disability rights are among the participants in the forum.

A study of established accessible-voting practices in Estonia, Ireland, the United States, Australia and other countries will be presented at the forum.