Election Commission’s new disabled-friendly portal to focus on voter education, participation

The Election Commission of India is determined to become inclusive in every way! Apart from making the voting process accessible on the ground, the ECI has launched a voter education and electoral participation portal. This has a section dedicated to people with disabilities.

The launch comes in the context of a two-day national consultation programme on issues relating to the inclusion of disabled people in the poll process.

The programme, which is called Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in the Electoral Process is being organised to come up with a national policy on the issue.

After the consultation, a report on challenges along with action points will be prepared. Among those taking part in this are government officials, representatives from political parties, NGOs, and experts.

Under the EC’s Strategic Plan 2016-2025, greater participation of disabled people in the electoral process is one of the core objectives.

This year, the EC declared Accessible Elections as the theme for the National Voters Day on 25 January. .

The EC had earlier conducted consultations at the district level across India to identify the barriers, challenges and possible solutions. The results were documented and taken up at state-level consultations.

A series of disabled-friendly measures were taken up in Delhi, Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Bihar, Assam, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh.

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