A secret vote once and for all 

To the future Prime Minister, 

Voting is a fundamental right and part of living in democratic society. More than 150 years after the right to a secret vote was made law, blind and partially sighted people are still having to share their vote. This is a scandal. 

In the UK we vote by reading and marking a piece of paper. This is an impossible task for those who cannot see the ballot paper. It means most blind people have to share their vote, either with a family member, a friend or polling station staff. Voters report feeling humiliated and let down by the system, having to share their vote out loud in public, feeling judged, and in some cases not even being certain who they voted for. 

In 2019 a judge called the provisions available to enable blind people to vote “a parody of the electoral process”. Later that year, our survey of voting experiences in the General Election found just 13 per cent of blind voters, and less than half of partially sighted voters (44 per cent), felt they could vote independently and in secret under the current voting system. Since then, the law has changed, but the adaptations routinely available to blind voters in the polling station remain largely the same.

There are tried and tested ways blind and partially sighted people can truly vote independently and in secret. In Australia, blind and partially sighted people can register to vote by telephone. In a recent UK trial, audio and tactile accessible voting solutions enabled 93 per cent of participants to vote independently and in secret. These audio and tactile solutions can be requested and used to vote at this year’s General Election on Thursday 4 July, but crucially, will not be available in every polling station. A blind or partially sighted person should be able to turn up to their polling station on the day and be able to vote independently, without having to make requests themselves in advance, just like anyone else.

Let’s make this the last election where blind people have to share their vote. The solutions are out there. Let's make this a reality.