Call to give blind people right to secret vote

The Government has been asked to “rectify its failure” to provide blind and vision impaired voters with their constitutional right to a secret ballot.

The call has come from the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI) as a High Court challenge begins against the Department of the Environment, Community, and Local Government by Robert Sinnott of the Blind Legal Alliance. The action claims people who are blind or vision-impaired cannot vote in secret.

People with sight loss are entitled to enlist the assistance of a ‘trusted friend’ or the presiding officer when casting their ballot.