OSCE Mission to Montenegro delivers workshop for municipal electoral commissions on improving accessibility on polling day

Ahead of the municipal elections in Cetinje and Petnjica on 5 December 2021, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, the Association of Youth with Disabilities and the Union of Blind of Montenegro delivered an online training course on 28 October for representatives of the local Municipal Electoral Commissions (MECs) on how to improve accessibilty of polling stations and voting materials.

Marko Brnović, Chair of Cetinje MEC, said that the Commission had undertaken all activities to ensure a greater accessibility of polling stations. “We held talks with the MECs of Herceg Novi and Nikšić, who held elections earlier this year, to hear more about what they did to make polling stations more accessible to people with disabilities,” said Brnović.

Adis Duraković, Chair of Petnjica MEC, said he visited all polling stations in that town. “We are dedicated to achieving a greater accessibility of polling stations,“ said Duraković.

Marina Vujačić, Executive Director of the Association of Youth with Disabilities, said that regardless of how small a constituency is, election management bodies should not assume whether people with disabilities would vote or not in elections and where. “We are working alongside the OSCE Mission and the Ministry of Interior to raise awareness of the right to vote for people who are deprived of legal capacity, but now are registered and will be able to vote in local elections this year,” said Vujačić.

Katarina Bigović of  the Union of the Blind of Montenegro said that tactile devices that were used in earlier elections did not ensure secrecy of the ballot for people with impaired vision. “Polling station staff should not make assessments on whether voters require a tactile device, but provide it to all voters who request it,“ said Bigović. She also offered support to the MECs in producing ballot papers in Braille’s alphabet to allow people with impaired vision to read more about the candidates before they vote.

Darko Brajović, Mission's Democratization National Programme Officer said that discrimination on basis of disability is a violation of inherent dignity. “Accessibility is more than a ramp at the entrance of polling stations. There are a number of other factors that need to be met in order for a polling station to be accessible, and the voting experience pleasant to all voters on election day,“ said Brajović.

In May this year, the Mission and the two organizations produced guidelines for municipal electoral commissions on improving accessibility of polling stations, which have been shared with all municipal electoral commissions.