Voting and elections
On December 12 the UK headed to the polls to elect the next Government.
The right to vote independently, and in secret, is a cornerstone of our democracy. Yet blind and partially sighted people continue to face unacceptable barriers to exercising their democratic right to vote.
Hundreds of people took our survey to tell us how they experienced polling day. The survey was anonymous and the valuable information people shared will be used in our ‘Turned Out’ report 2019 to show the Government what must be improved to ensure the democratic rights of all blind or partially sighted people are respected.
Watch this space for the results of our survey!
Voting - know your rights
The right to vote independently, and in secret, is a cornerstone of our democracy. Yet blind and partially sighted people continue to face unacceptable barriers to exercising their democratic right to vote.
By law, local authorities must:
1. Ensure that every polling station has the correct tactile voting device and large print ballot papers and that staff know how to use these
2. Ensure that the tactile voting device correctly fit the ballot papers and that the large print versions of the ballot paper are readily available for voters to use, not displayed as posters
RNIB's 2019 General Election Manifestos
Help us make sure that whoever represents you in Parliament after December 12 is acting in the interests of blind and partially sighted people.
We have a manifesto for each nation of the UK that you can use to speak to your MP and also ask them to sign up as an RNIB Champion.
Read the country specific manifestos
Turned Out Reports: Access to voting for people with sight loss
Since 2015, we have surveyed blind and partially sighted voters after Local, General and European elections to find out about their experiences. They have continued to report that they face unacceptable barriers to exercising their democratic right to vote in secret.
Read the Turned Out reports