The Election Commission said there would be legal provisions for voters with disabilities to be accompanied by a person to assist in marking ballot papers at polling stations, yesterday.Any disabled voter who is unable to bring a person to assist could cast his vote through the senior presiding officer on behalf of the voter, in the presence of another officer, similar to previous elections.
Provisions exist in Section 54(2) of the Principal Act by Elections (Special Provisions) Act No. 28 of 2011 for a person who is totally or partially, visually-handicapped or physically-disabled, to be accompanied by another to assist in marking of ballot papers, the Election Commission in a statement said. The person who accompanies the disabled person should be more than 18 years of age and not a contesting candidate at the election. Similarly, the person should not be an authorized agent or a polling agent of a political party at the election. In addition, he or she should not be a person subject to any disability.
In order tobe accompanied by a person to assist as stated above, a Certificate of Eligibility should be handed over to the officers at the polling station.
The form to be used to obtain the Certificate of Eligibility can be collected from the Grama Niladhari in the area of authority of the relevant Local Authority. A specimen of the Certificate of Eligibility can also be downloaded by visiting the website www.elections.gov.lk of the Election Commission.
The visually or physically-disabled person may obtain an application form from the Grama Niladhari. The form should be completed and the Grama Niladhari's endorsement should be obtained on it and then submitted to a Government Medical Officer, who would examine the applicant and certify that he or she is entitled to be treated as a disabled person, the Election Commission further said. The disabled person should proceed to the polling station with his national identity card or any other approved identity document acceptable at the polling station and the Certificate of Eligibility certified by the Government Medical Officer, and accompanied by the person who is named to assist the voter.
The staff at the polling station, having ascertained the identity of the voter, would go through the normal procedure and issue a ballot paper to the voter. The voter would then be directed to the senior presiding officer, along with the accompanying person. It is also essential that the person accompanying the disabled voter should also bring his own national identity card or any other identity document which is acceptable at the polling station, the Election Commission added. The senior presiding officer would collect the voter’s Certificate of Eligibility and obtain a written statement, which is at the bottom of Part II of the certificates of Eligibility, from the accompanying person. A disabled voter cannot go to the polling station with an accompanying person if the voter does not take with him a Certificate of Eligibility. The Certificate of Eligibility would be retained with the senior presiding officer after the disabled person casts his vote.
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