The lack of accessibility is one of the main barriers to exercise the right to vote of persons with disabilities. To prevent his, the ONCE Social Group has worked on intense advocacy and political action to ensure the right to vote of persons with disabilities is protected, as part of its campaign “Right to accessible vote: equal right to vote”.
Given the fact that accessible technology can put an end to this situation, the ONCE Social Group has identified the QR code system on ballots as the main proposal to protect the right to vote, due to its versatility, ease of use and low cost. This code allows the incorporation of an additional layer of accessibility to the way of exercising the right to vote, complementing accessibility measures already established, such as the braille voting system, thus allowing access for people not familiar with this system.
The upcoming European Union parliamentary elections, to be held from the 6th to the 9th of June, 2024, set the frame and context to call for the need to implement accessibility measures in the electoral process, and protect the fundamental right to vote.
With this in mind, the ONCE Social Group has maintained direct contact with the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU (REPER), presenting the use of the QR code on ballots as a mechanism to improve accessibility. In addition, the ONCE Social Group has taken part in the drafting of the European Commission’s Guide to good electoral practices for citizens with disabilities, and has influenced the drafting of the European Parliament Report on the European Elections 2024, as well as the Declaration of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU on the right to vote for persons with disabilities, proposing the introduction of using a QR code to improve electoral accessibility.
In addition, in early March, the ONCE Social Group organized a simulation event at the European Parliament in which a group of Spanish MEPs were able to experience the barriers faced by blind persons when voting, due to the lack of accessibility in the ballot papers.
In the simulation, MEPs were asked to cover their eyes with a blindfold and try to choose different coloured ballots from an electoral envelope. This exercise aimed to demonstrate the difficulties faced by blind persons when voting for their preferred political option without assistance. It illustrated how placing a QR code on the ballots can solve the accessibility issues of the voting process. This QR code would direct users to a website that verbalizes the chosen option, allowing voters to exercise their right to vote autonomously and on equal terms.
After this experience, the ONCE Social Group presented the video "The QR is necessary", which shows people with visual disabilities of different ages reflecting how on the QR code can make blind people vote on equal terms.
Finally, prior to the simulation, a roundtable was held with the participation of MEPs Jordi Cañas, Mónica Silvana and Rosa Estarás, the vice-president of the ONCE Social Group, Alberto Durán, and the director general for Communication of the European Parliament, Jaume Duch, to discuss the measures that need to be implemented to enhance the accessibility of the electoral process in the European Union.