Voting day

Here in the UK we have local votes going on today. We are choosing town councillors which pays for verge/hedge maintenance around town, refuse/ recycling collection, social housing, etc (it is county councillors who hold the purse strings for the budget that pays for road, police, school, social care (adult and child), etc locally (basically anything that doesn’t come from town council and government budgets). We are also choosing a police commissioner who will control local policies in the fight against crime.

Many people are going to the polling stations (in school halls, or social spaces like community centres) while some have arranged a proxy vote, or like myself a postal vote.

Why a postal vote?

When I first lost my sight I cast my vote at the polling station. I could barely read the ballot paper. The staff at polling station didn’t offer the tactile ballot cover (which needs careful lining up and slips easily) and deciding I was in the booth too long kept checking I was OK and hovered outside “ready to help” while telling my sister (who had come to help) that she couldn’t as I hadn’t got a proxy vote.

Of course I’m discussing my first official blind vote at a local election (can’t remember if it was town or county councillors that time (my brexit vote in June 2016 was with the same level of blur but not realising I was blind because I was awaiting my hospital appointment which would diagnose my sight loss).

Because of my awful experience in the polling station I applied for a postal ballot and in consequent elections have used my postal vote.

It takes me a long time to read the instructions, the ballot paper or papers, and make my vote, especially making sure the correct address is showing in the return envelope window.

I’m able to vote independently taking as much time as I need using my apps to read the candidates and using my iPad as a magnifier to be able to put my x in the correct box on the paper.

I use headphones so no one outside can hear my phone reading my voting choice.

However I’d rather have a totally accessible experience in the polling station. Especially as often I cannot find all the candidates manifestos in an accessible format before I fill in my ballot to post it off so my vote counts.

Until next time making my vote count.