Polling day to mark launch of new voting system for blind people

A new voting aid to help blind or partially-sighted people is being rolled out across Scotland ahead of May's election.

It is designed to give them more independence at the ballot box by making it easier to mark their ballot papers accurately.

A new cardboard overlay has been designed to fit ballots perfectly, and replaces a device many say did not work as intended.

It will be accompanied by audio recording of candidates on council websites.

Officials and campaigners call it progress, but questions remain over how it will work in practice.

Ken Reid is totally blind. He has voted many times and understands the process. But for years, he was never entirely sure his vote counted.

"I used to think it was good," he said, recalling the old tactile voting device. "Then I discovered that most of the time I was probably putting my cross outside the box. My vote may not have been counted."

For him, the change now being introduced is not abstract. It is about trust, and whether he can vote in secret like anyone else.

Inside Edinburgh City Chambers, a mock polling station has been set up in preparation for the Scottish Parliament election on 7 May. Staff are being trained for polling day.

For most people, voting is routine. For blind voters, it often has not been.

The previous device was a plastic sheet placed over the ballot paper. Each candidate's box sat beneath a small flap.

In theory, once it was attached, this allowed a voter to lift the flap and mark their choice.

In practice, there was no guarantee the flap lined up properly.

That created uncertainty. Voters could not be sure their mark landed in the correct place.

It also raised concerns about secrecy. Once returned, the device could show which flap had been opened.

"As soon as you do that, anybody who looks at that device knows who you voted for," Ken said. "So in the past I've actually opened all the windows just so they get fooled."

The replacement uses a cardboard overlay cut to match each ballot paper exactly. Each box is aligned with the printed options, with braille and raised numbers to guide the voter.

Catriona Burness from RNIB Scotland said the difference was precision.

"For those who have used the old overlay, you pulled back your flap and made your mark, but you were never quite convinced you were lined up with the boxes," she said.

"This new system is cut to fit the ballot paper, so the squares match exactly where you vote."

The overlays are produced for each ballot. If there are five candidates, there are five aligned boxes. For regional lists, where there may be many more names, the overlay can be cut accordingly, to match.

The earlier devices did not adjust in this way. They were produced in a standard format, with twelve flaps that could open, regardless of how many candidates stood.

The new system has been used in a small number of by-elections. The 7 May vote in Scotland will be the first time it has been used in a major parliamentary election anywhere in the UK.

Chris Highcock, Deputy Returning Officer for Edinburgh and Secretary of the Electoral Management Board for Scotland, believes past arrangements have often fallen short.

"We are aware that we have not always done a great job, that the accessibility aids on offer for visually impaired voters haven't always done the job," he said.

He said the overlays would sit alongside other support, including audio ballots and help from polling staff.

In Edinburgh, around 850 polling staff are being trained ahead of the election.

Julie Wright, who leads that work, said equipment alone was not enough.

"It's OK making these ballot papers more accessible, but if the staff are not trained properly it becomes a bit pointless," she said.

Sessions are limited to around 36 people. Staff are shown how to use overlays, large print ballots and magnifiers, and are encouraged to practise before polling day.

The aim is consistency. From 07:00 until 22:00, every voter should receive the same level of support.

Ken Reid thinks the changes will help, but he is cautious.

"It doesn't solve all the problems, but I think it is a great improvement," he said.

Edinburgh is one council area. Scotland has 32.

Whether all will deliver the same experience on polling day is still uncertain.

For blind voters, the issue is simple. It is about casting a vote in private, or giving that privacy up.