How people with sight problems will vote

Dodoma. The government will prepare tactile ballot papers for persons with visual impairment in all elections.

This was said in Parliament on Thursday, April 18, by the deputy minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment and Disabled), Mr Antony Mavunde, during the question and answer session. He was responding to a question by Special Seats Member of Parliament Suzana Mgonukulima (Chadema), who sought to know the government’s plans to cater for the needs of the disabled during voting. (Alex Malanga)

“Is the government ready to prepare special papers for people who are visually impaired to enable them exercise their constitutional right of voting without help from others who can mislead them?” asked Ms Mgonukulima.

Mr Mavunde said special papers were used in the 2015 presidential election but the plan is to have such papers in all elections.

“During the 2015 General Election, tactile ballot papers for people with visually impairment were used for presidential election only,” noted Mr Mavunde.

Adding: “But we will in the next elections go an extra mile. Special papers will be used to cater for the needs of the visually impaired.”