Voting is a right that many of us probably take for granted – but for thousands of disabled people that is not the case and they are denied the opportunity to make their voices heard at the ballot box.
Disabled people still face discrimination when it comes to voting because of a number of different access barriers. These can include polling stations without ramps for wheelchair users or voting information which is not available in alternative formats such as Braille.
That’s why Eleanor Burnham will be supporting disability charity Scope’s “Polls Apart” campaign in the run-up to the General Election.
Polls Apart is a campaign to ensure that disabled people have the same access to voting as everyone else.
Eleanor is calling on all North Wales councils to ensure that their local polling stations are fully accessible to disabled people. This could include changes such as installing temporary ramps or ensuring that polling station staff have disability equality training.
She is also urging voters to take part in a survey produced by Scope access to their own polling stations on election day.
Commenting, Eleanor said:
“In a modern democracy it is simply not acceptable that so many disabled people are still denied the opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote.
“I hope as many people as possible will take part in this survey to raise awareness about this issue and make sure that obstacles to access and use are removed. Disabled people must be treated equally and fairly when it comes to voting.”
