Lack of secrecy in voting an abuse of our rights – visually impaired

The Ghana Blind Union has asked the Electoral Commission to ensure persons with disability cast their ballot secretly in the upcoming District Level Elections and Referendum, the GNA reports.

Chairman of the union, Christian Dzisianu said the secrecy of the ballot is undermined when one’s choice of voting becomes public because others have to help them.

The group raised the concerns at a sensitisation workshop with the EC in Ho.

They argued that the lack of secrecy of the voting process defeats the tenets of the exercise and an abuse of the rights of the visually impaired persons.

The workshop is part of the public education strategy of the Electoral Commission to ensure the dissemination of adequate knowledge and full participation of members in the December 17 elections and referendum, this year.

It was under the theme, enhancing the participation of virtually impaired voters in the 2019 District Assembly/Unit Committee Election and Referendum.

Deputy Volta Regional Director of EC, Eric Dzakpasu noted that the workshop is to help the EC aggregate views and make it part of the EC’s working principles in future elections.

He said EC would liaise with the executives of their Associations to collate numbers across the country and build the tactile ballot jackets according to their demands.

The group was taking through the use of ‘tactile ballot jacket’ as would be applicable on voting day on December 17.