Disabled voters judge poll access

Disabled voter Mandi Glover at a polling station in 2003

Disabled people in Wales voting in the general election have been asked to report on how accessible they find polling stations.

Disability charity Scope is has asked disabled people to tell them their experiences of voting on Thursday as part of its Polls Apart campaign.

In Wales at the 2001 general election, 66% of polling stations were deemed inaccessible by disabled voters.

The charity said improvements had been made but more needed to be done.

The Polls Apart campaign was launched in 1992 ahead of that year's general election following complaints about poll access from disabled people after previous elections.

POLLS APART QUESTIONS Is the polling station less than half a mile from where you live? Is there designated parking for disabled voters? Is there level access into the polling station? If there is a ramp, is it appropriately designed? Can a disabled person move around easily and safely? Is there a low-level polling booth? Is there a large print version of the ballot paper on display? Is there a tactile voting device to help visually impaired voters? Is the polling station well-lit? Are polling station staff helpful and friendly?

The 1992 survey suggested that more than 90% of all polling stations in Wales and England were inaccessible in some way.

Scope has repeated the survey in every general and Welsh assembly election since and hopes to survey 4,000 polling station across England and Wales on Thursday.

The charity has called on disabled people to fill out a 10-question survey after they cast their vote and has a separate survey for those using a postal vote.

According the Scope, problems in previous elections have included disabled people having to vote in the street, having their ballot paper marked by someone else or having to go home due to unavailability of nearby parking.

Wheelchair user Tony Stevenson, from Cardiff, said he had used a postal vote for this election because of his previous experiences at polling stations.

Some polling stations have proved difficult for wheelchair use

Mr Stevenson, 36, said: "In the past, I've found ramps have been too steep and difficult to manage.

"The most serious problem is the polling booths themselves, which are usually designed for people standing up.

"The problems mean that I used a postal vote this time, but I'll be going along to a polling station in Cardiff to survey it for the Scope campaign and to see if things have improved."

'Magnifying glass'

As well as issues of access to polling stations and booths for wheelchair users, Scope said there had been problems experienced by blind and partially- sighted people at previous elections.

Jenny Gray, who is partially sighted, said she had encountered problems at polling stations in the past.

"I've only voted once before - in the 1999 Welsh assembly election in Aberystwyth - but had to take someone to help me and I needed to use a magnifying glass.

"Once I found the polling station, I remember it being really dark and the booths were not well lit."

Ms Gray, 27, from Port Talbot, said she expected similar difficulties when voting in the Aberavon constituency on Thursday.

"I'll have a magnifying glass, but I'm concerned I'll have to get someone to help me which isn't the point of the secret ballot.

"I want to cast my vote in person due to the problems with the postal vote, but I'm expecting problems."

Some improvements

Margie Woodward, campaigns officer for Scope, added: "By our calculation, there are 500,000 disabled people in Wales, so there a lot of people who will potentially have problems.

"Things should be getting better, but the proof is in the pudding and we are keen to hear about people's experiences."

Local authorities have responsibility for setting up polling stations, but advisory body the Electoral Commission will report on disabled access after Thursday's poll.

Kay Jenkins, from the commission's head of office in Wales, said: "In the 2003 Welsh assembly elections, we found that many disabled people in Wales felt that electoral processes did not take account of their needs.

"However, in the 2004 local and European elections, our evidence suggested there was an improvement in the number of accessible polling stations in Wales.

"We hope that this improvement will have continued for this general election."

Scope plans to publish the results of its survey in around a month's time.