For the first time, real guarantees are being created in the Bulgarian electoral legislation to preserve the secrecy of the vote of blind people and citizens with visual impairments. This was stated by the deputy from the “Progressive Bulgaria“ Ivan Yanev during a briefing in the National Assembly, quoted by Nova TV. According to him, the adopted texts in the Electoral Code solve a problem that for decades has remained outside the real agenda of the institutions.
“Today is a historic day. As a historian, I can assure you that what is about to happen has never happened before. The secrecy of the vote for blind people and people with visual impairments is already provided for by texts in the Electoral Code“, said Yanev.
He thanked the Committee on Legal Affairs, the Central Election Commission and his colleagues from “Progressive Bulgaria“ for the quick reaction and work on legislative changes. According to him, so far the topic has mainly been present in general political declarations, without any specific actions being taken.
“The Legal Committee quickly took this major, decades-old problem to heart. I also thank the Central Election Commission, with whom I am in constant communication. This was an issue that no one paid attention to outside of general conversation. Now we are seeing how a long-standing problem finds its solution“, said the MP.
The planned changes will allow voting machines to be equipped with voice instructions, and the font size on the screen to be increased. According to Yanev, this will make it easier not only for people with officially established visual impairments, but also for many elderly citizens and voters who have difficulty reading. “Machines will now be able to speak. People with visual impairments will be able to enlarge the font, which will also help many other citizens who formally do not have a disability, but whose vision is impaired. For those who vote with a paper ballot, there will be high-quality tactile templates“, explained Ivan Yanev.
Yanev recalled that until now, blind voters were forced to vote with the help of an attendant, who marked their choice on the ballot or pressed the corresponding button on the machine. According to him, this not only violated the secrecy of the vote, but also created opportunities for abuse.
“Every blind person or person with visual impairment voted with an attendant. He would go to the machine or to the ballot box, and the sighted companion would press the button or mark what was said to him. This is not a secret of the vote. Not to mention that it is possible to say one thing and mark another“, the MP pointed out.
According to him, the new rules will eliminate this danger and will enable people with visual impairments to exercise their right to vote independently and with dignity. He also stated that he would closely monitor the way in which the parliamentary groups will vote on the final texts in the plenary hall. According to him, the vote will show which political forces actually protect the rights of people with disabilities and which use the topic only as part of their public rhetoric.
Ivan Yanev defined July 30 as a historic date for Bulgarian law and congratulated the lawyers, people with disabilities and journalists, thanks to whom information about the changes will reach the public. “July 30 is a historic day for Bulgarian law. Congratulations to all lawyers and to all people with disabilities. Congratulations also to journalists, because through you this historic day will reach all people“, said Ivan Yanev.
The new rules, which should guarantee independent and secret voting for people with visual and other disabilities, will not be able to be fully implemented in the presidential elections in October, Ivan Yanev specified in response to a question from NOVA.
According to him, the main reason is that the voting machines were not initially designed with the necessary accessibility features, and their additional equipment and software upgrades require time and a separate procedure. “In October, the changes will not be applicable because, when the machines were purchased, they were not made with proper design and with a complete task. It is much more difficult to modify and retrofit them afterwards,“ said Yanev.
He specified that the state will continue to work with the existing machines, and there is no mandatory purchase of new devices. In order to introduce voice instructions and other accessibility features, additional software will have to be developed and implemented.
“We are working with what we have - with the operating machines. If new ones are ever purchased, the task must be done much more adequately. At the moment, however, we are working with the existing devices“, explained the MP.
A new public procurement will be required to upgrade the machines. However, it can only be awarded after the legal changes are promulgated and come into force, after which the Central Election Commission must prepare a technical task and begin the procedure.
Technologically and procedurally, there is not enough time to make the necessary changes before the presidential vote. Therefore, the effect of some of the new provisions will be postponed for the next elections, which, according to him, will be local.
However, more tactile templates for voting with a paper ballot are expected to be provided for the presidential elections. According to information presented at the briefing, only 400 such templates were provided during the previous vote.
The legislative changes were developed in coordination with the Central Election Commission and are aimed not only at improving accessibility, but also at limiting errors and abuses in the electoral process.