September 1, 2024 – Boca Raton, Florida.- Smartmatic released the new handbook “Ensuring Accessible Voter Experiences: Communication Guidelines for Poll Workers” to assist Election Management Bodies (EMBs) in training poll workers to better support voters with disabilities. This handbook offers practical guidelines on how to effectively communicate with voters with various types of disabilities, enhancing their overall voting experience.
According to the World Health Organization, over 1.6 billion people, or approximately 16% of the world’s population, live with a disability. This demographic represents the world’s largest minority, highlighting the pressing need for inclusive electoral processes. Despite numerous legal mandates around the globe requiring that all voters be able to participate in elections, the actual voting experience for people with disabilities often falls short of these ideals.
Smartmatic’s CEO, Antonio Mugica, commented on the publication: “At Smartmatic, we believe democratic elections should be inclusive in nature. This handbook does not pretend to be a quick fix to the challenge of inclusiveness. However, well implemented, it can go a long way in making voting at the booth a more pleasant experience for everyone.”
Smartmatic’s new handbook is a practical guide that can be used by any election commission to address a fundamental need—the need to treat people with dignity. This handbook serves as a crucial complement to assistive technology and the physical arrangement of polling stations, bridging the gap between policy and practice to ensure a more accessible and inclusive voting experience for all.
The handbook is available at no cost at Smartmatic’s Resource Center.
