Visually impaired also vote in secret

Visually impaired South Africans on Wednesday had the opportunity to cast their votes secretly for the first time on a Braille ballot sheet, George Herald reports.

IEC media liaison officer Trevor Davids explained that Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) had developed the Braille template to cater for blind South Africans who will be able to enjoy similar rights as others at polling stations countrywide.

The templates were produced in Cape Town and South Africa is the second country, after Japan, to produce the model.

According to the IEC, the Braille ballot from left to right will have a number, the abbreviation of the party’s name, and raised dots leading to a small window where the voter makes his or her mark.