Ballot Paper Template for Voters who are Blind or Vision Impaired
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
Voters who are blind and vision impaired will have the option at the forthcoming European, local and Limerick mayoral elections on 07 June 2024 of voting independently. They will be able to do this by using a Ballot Paper Template (BPT). The template enables them to mark their ballot paper without assistance if they wish to do so.
A BPT is a transparent plastic device that is placed on top of a ballot paper. It has a number of tactile features to facilitate the independent marking of a ballot paper by a voter who is blind or vision impaired. The template consists of raised numbering and corresponding braille. This assists the voter in identifying the openings on the template that correspond to the voter preference boxes for the candidates on the ballot paper, which lies beneath.
The BPT works in conjunction with a ‘Freephone – 1800’ number that informs the listener of the candidates corresponding to the numbers on the BPT. Based on this interaction between the tactile features of the BPT and the information provided on the Freephone number, the voter can then mark the ballot paper with their voting preferences (1,2,3 etc.). The BPT also has a flap corresponding to each voting choice that can be securely closed once a voting preference has been completed. Once the voter has completed the process, the ballot paper is detached from the template and placed in the ballot box in the usual way.
The Freephone number will be available for voters intending to use the template at the local elections, European elections or Limerick mayoral election.
The relevant Freephone numbers will be available from the:
The Freephone number will be available up to and including polling day. Voters can listen to the candidate list from the comfort of their homes as often as they wish in advance of polling day. If they wish, they can also listen to it on their mobile phones at the polling station.
If your local authority’s Freephone number is not listed on this page, please contact your local authority.
BPTs will be available at each polling station on polling day. If a voter who is blind or vision impaired indicates to the Presiding Officer that they wish to avail of the BPT option, they will be given their ballot paper with the appropriate BPT attached. However, the option of voting with the aid of a companion or the Presiding Officer at a polling station will be available for those voters who are blind and vision impaired who would prefer to vote in this way.
Another option open to voters with the relevant screen reading technology (for example, on their phones, tablets or laptops) is to familiarise themselves with the candidates by accessing the relevant ‘Notice of Poll’ on the relevant website. A Notice of Poll is a statutory notice published by a returning officer which sets out details of the poll, including a listing of the candidates in the order in which they will appear on the ballot paper.