Blind voters 'humiliated' by lack of support - MP

Carlisle MP Julie Minns is proposing a new law to ensure blind people are supported to vote independently

Blind and partially sighted people are being left "humiliated" and unsure they have voted correctly because of a lack of support at polling stations, according to an MP.

Carlisle's Julie Minns said many with visual impairments were unable to vote without someone else knowing their choice.

The Labour MP has put forward a proposed new law to ensure there are tactile and audio aids for blind voters in polling stations.

The government said it was "committed" to making elections accessible. The Electoral Commission said there was "still more to be done to improve the voting experience".

Speaking in the House of Commons, Minns cited research by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), which found only about a quarter of blind and partially sighted people could vote "independently and in secret".

She described how a partially sighted constituent had been forced to ask a clerk to fold his ballot paper between candidates' names and have staff read them out, at last year's general election.

Tactile overlays and audio recordings listing candidates can help those with visual impairments vote independently

Minns said many with sight loss had to "tell another person their vote" to help them fill in a ballot paper, but that tactile and audio aids to allow independent voting were "low-cost".

"Blind voters report feeling humiliated and let down by the system, having to share their vote out loud in public and in some cases not being certain who they voted for," she told the Commons.

Her Ten Minute Rule Bill - which allows a backbench MP to make their case for a new Bill in a speech lasting up to 10 minutes - is unlikely to become law, but is a chance to attract support for her proposals.

Training and equipment

An Electoral Commission spokesperson said: "While there have been significant improvements in recent years, we know there is still more to be done to improve the voting experience."

They said returning officers have been given training and equipment that would support independent and secret voting.

But a report on elections in 2024 found that "many people were not aware of the assistance available to them" and it was planning to run a consultation on the issue.

A spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government added that work was ongoing to "explore ways to improve the system".