site.btaOmbudsman To Host Forum on Accessible Voting

A forum on the electoral rights of people with visual and hearing impairments will be held at the Ombudsman Institution in Sofia on Friday, the institution said.

Organized by Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria Velislava Delcheva, the event will focus on accessible information, technological solutions and voting conditions that safeguard the secrecy of the ballot and the right to an informed and independent choice.

The forum will take place in the main conference hall on the second floor of the Ombudsman Institution at 22 Georg Washington Street. It is dedicated to safeguarding every Bulgarian citizen’s constitutional right to vote.

Ahead of the forthcoming parliamentary elections, the discussion will examine how prepared State institutions and local authorities are to provide an accessible voting environment and suitable conditions for people with disabilities.

Particular attention will be paid to accessible information, digital solutions and physical aids that protect ballot secrecy and support informed, independent voting. The discussion will also cover Braille templates and audio guidance for machine voting, sign language interpretation and video instructions for deaf and hard-of-hearing voters, public information campaigns in accessible formats, and training for polling station commissions.

Participants will include representatives of the Central Election Commission and the Ministry of Electronic Governance, as well as 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.

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

Earlier this week, Deputy Minister of Electronic Governance Nikolay Minev said a QR code would be placed at every polling station to make it easier for blind voters to access information about candidate lists ahead of the forthcoming snap parliamentary elections.