Persons With Disabilities

Electors / Voters with disabilities, reduced mobility & reduced functions:

Electors / Voters having one among the 21 disabilities as mentioned by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 are termed as voters with disabilities. In addition,if a person who has reduced mobility and/ormotor functionand/or physical coordination due to age, temporary ailment, pregnancy and other disease, and needs to be facilitated to get registered and to vote are termed as electors / voters with reduced mobility and physical functions.

Registration of a voter with disability / reduced mobility/functions

Every Indian citizen with disability or reduced mobility / functions who has attained the age of 18 years on the qualifying date i.e. first day of January of the year of revision of electoral roll, unless otherwise disqualified of crime or unsound mind as declared by a competent court,is eligible to be registered as a voter in the roll of the part/polling area of theconstituency of which he/she is a resident.

Process & facilitations for personswith disabilities to get registered in electoral roll:

An eligible person with disability or reduced mobility / physical functions can get enrolled in electoral roll by filling Form 6 inclusive of information about one’s disability online at www.nvsp.in and uploading the necessary documents.

One can also enrol at voter enrolment centres or the offices of Electoral Registration Officers / Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, which will be accessible for persons with disabilities and reduced mobility / physical functions, by filling Form 6 in two copies which are available free of cost atsuchcentres / offices and annexingcopies of the relevant documents. In case of any assistance / facilitation of communication required in filling the form, the same would be provided at both offices. The forms can also be sent by post to Electoral Registration Officer / Assistant Electoral Registration Officer.

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Persons With Disabilities
- Existing measures for facilitation of PwDs
  
  By Election Commission of India, in Existing Measures, June 26, 2018
  
  General Measures
  Persons with disabilities are given priority at polling stations and they can enter the same without waiting in the queue. Polling personnel are briefed about the provisions of Rule 49 N of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, for permitting a companion to accompany a blind/infirm elector. Poll personnel are trained & sensitised regarding special needs of persons affected by various disabilities. Special Directions of the Commission were given for providing adequate facilities to the PwDs in a circular dated 7th September, 2016. http://eci.nic.in/eci_main1/current/ImpIns_16092016.pdf
  For Loco-motor Disabilities
  Attempts are made to set-up the polling station on the ground floor. Temporary ramps are installed at the polling station location where permanent ramps have not been provided for access by wheelchair bound persons. Access to ramps has been made smooth in places of sandy and slushy pathways. Wheelchairs are provided at identified polling stations. Facility to take wheel chairs inside polling stations has been granted. Entrance door of polling station are kept wide open and adequate space is provided around the voting compartment to ensure easy movement for wheel chairs.
  For Visual and Aural Disabilities
  
  There exists Braille signage on the Ballot Unit of the Electronic Voting Machine for the benefit of the visually impaired. Electors with speech & hearing impairment are given special care as in the case of other disabled persons.
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- AMF: Assured Minimum Facilities
  
  By Election Commission of India, in Assured Minimum Facilities, June 26, 2018
  
  Signage
  Parking for Persons with Disability (PwD) coming on wheelchairs or other vehicles (to be visible from the road) After entrance arrow signs marks indicating the queue Arrow mark indicating the polling personnel Signage for Male/Female toilets Signage for toilets for PwD voters Signage indicating drinking water
  Help Desk
  
  Tables of 4’ x 2 1/2’ with provision for 3 people to sit - one BLO with booth slips, two NSS / NSC volunteers (1 male 1 female) to guide and assist the voters (especially the PwDs) entering the polling station
  
  Ramp
  Ramps should have an inclination ratio of 1:10 and not more than 1:14 Firm hand rails to be provided which should not be of shaky material In case there are stairs to reach polling station, ramp should also be provided there
  Toilets
  Whether separate toilets for Male and Female voters available Whether toilets are PwD-friendly. Whether running water is there in the toilets If running water facility is not there what arrangement has been done?
  
  Drinking Water
  Whether there is facility of drinking water
  
  Separate Entry and Exit
  Whether separate entrance and exit is provided in the polling station
  If no separate entrance and exitis available, whether provision of rope separator/partition can be done? specify
  
  Lighting
  Electricity connection with two plug points Minimum 1 fan 2-3 tube lights
  Furniture
  
  Is adequate furniture is available? Height of the table on which the Ballot Unit is kept should be disabled-friendly Sufficient moving space around the table for wheel chairs
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- Safeguards provided in the Constitution of India
  
  By Election Commission of India, in Guiding Principles, June 26, 2018
  
  Article 324 of the Constitution provides for the Election Commission, its powers and functions for maintenance of the Electoral Roll and conduct of elections in a free and fair manner. Article 325 provides that no person shall be ineligible for inclusion in the electoral roll on the grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or anyone of these. Article 326 provides - Elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assembly of every State shall be on the basis of adult suffrage; Every citizen of India not less than eighteen years of age on such date as may be fixed in that behalf by law and is not otherwise disqualified and shall be entitled to be registered as a voter at any such election.
  Provisions under Rule 49N of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, ECI guidelines, and Supreme Court orders directly address the issue of assistance to persons with disabilities. Under Rule 49N, if owing to blindness or other physical infirmities an elector is unable to recognise the symbol on the EVM or unable to record vote by pressing the appropriate button thereon, the presiding officer shall permit the elector to take with him a companion of not less than eighteen years of age to the voting compartment for recording the vote on his behalf and in accordance with his wishes.
  Polling personnel are to be given appropriate directions and sensitized through training classes about the special needs of the disabled and to be courteous and to provide necessary support to them at the polling station. Permanent ramps to be provided in all public buildings where polling stations are located. Full facility should be provided for such electors to take their wheelchair inside the polling station. Where permanent ramps have not been provided, temporary ramps have to be provided. Sufficient publicity to be given well in advance in print and electronic media about the availability of facilities so that the persons with disabilities are aware of the facilities beforehand, and are thus encouraged going and exercising their franchise. Observers should also ensure that such facilities are given; the absence of such facilities should be notified to the respective Government for remedial/future action.
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