For the 27.79 million eligible voters who could make their way to the polls on 29 May, your day at the voting polls could go in various ways.
For South African citizens who are not part of the disabled community, election day may look a certain way: getting to your designated polling station, ensuring you are registered and on the voters’ roll, presenting a valid identification document, and finally making your way to an open booth and choosing which party to make your ‘X’ for.
This list could appear simple, and with the added benefit of a day off work (not to mention exercising a hard-fought constitutional right), 29 May is not a day fueled by anxiety for most.
However, the situation varies for those in the disabled community. According to Makgosi Letimile, an activist and disability inclusion coach who became a wheelchair user in 2016, the disabled community now represents between 10 and 15% of the population. Yet, in the realm of electoral participation, the disabled community in South Africa faces a myriad of challenges, ranging from physical barriers to societal attitudes.
Past Challenges and Current Realities
In 2019, when Letimile went to cast her vote, she was forced to drive to three different polling stations before being able to mark her ‘X’. “It was a nightmare. I remember driving to three different voting stations. The first voting station had stairs, the second voting station also had stairs, and then the third one was muddy, but people were willing to push me and help me to get to the hall,” says Letimile.
“It’s not just getting into the building,” says Dr Emma McKinney, a lecturer and researcher at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Sports Science and Development (ICSSD).
As a member of the disabled community, McKinney has had intimate experience with voting. She is hearing impaired, and her husband, Dr Victor McKinney, who also holds a PhD in disability studies, is a quadriplegic.
“What [people] don’t realise is that getting out of bed takes (my husband) two to three hours in the morning. It’s not just spring out of bed, and then you’re fresh to go,” says McKinney. In addition to getting to the voting station, McKinney has to consider entering the building to cast the vote. “We’ve had instances where the main entrance isn’t wide enough, and in fact, two voting stations we visited where water drains blocked the way,” says McKinney. “The carer had to lift [Victor] in his wheelchair, which is heavy, but also undignified as well.”
Despite the challenges faced on election day, voting within the disabled community remains fundamentally important. It represents an assertion of their rights and a means of advocating for change. “Yes, we have needs, but we also have very important things to say… our votes are also as important as those of a young 19-year-old,” says McKinney. With the disabled community accounting for 10-15% of the population, “we’re an untapped market,” she adds.
“We’re the largest, smallest majority in the country and nobody’s talking to us, and at the end of the day everybody that’s able-bodied is only temporarily able-bodied,” says Letimile, who adds that any mention of disability is something that she looks for in a political manifesto.
“Hopefully by 2030, when the next national elections come along, there will be a disabled candidate on the ballot paper, and that will be a person that people choose to vote for knowing they have gone into politics with the view of being of service to people with disabilities,” says Letimile. “I think we have a responsibility as a disabled community to represent ourselves,” she says.
The Role of the IEC in Promoting Accessibility
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), in collaboration with organisations like the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB), has introduced the Universal Ballot Template (UBT), a voting aid designed to facilitate individuals with disabilities and special needs in exercising their right to an independent and confidential vote.
Constructed from durable black plastic, the UBT accommodates a standard ballot paper. Its front features a flap with cut-out windows labelled in Braille and large, raised white print, allowing voters to align the ballot paper and make their mark without assistance. This is designed to ensure the secrecy of a vote.
The UBT is designed to be accessible to various groups, including blind and partially sighted individuals, people with dyslexia, the elderly, those with low literacy, and individuals with motor or nervous conditions that may affect their ability to hold a steady hand.
However, the extent to which this promotes inclusivity within the disabled community leaves some desirability. “The IEC have made some efforts towards accessibility, but in my experience, those haven’t been very well thought through,” says Dr Michelle Botha, a disability researcher and activist at Stellenbosch University. Botha Identifies as blind and makes use of a cane or a guide dog as well as computer literacy equipment designed for accessibility.
“Only 10% of visually impaired people in the country are Braille users. So, that doesn’t help. And number two, it’s actually very cumbersome,” says Botha.
The UBT is a numbered system, “which means that I need an IEC official to come into the booth with me and read out the ballot, so that I know which number I’m choosing”. This makes it difficult for the individual’s vote to remain a secret, “which is very important to me, and I think for most people it is,” she says.
The UBT was first introduced in South Africa in 2015 and first supplied during a national election in 2019. “When I go to my local polling station, I always ask if they have a UBT, and mostly they haven’t,” says Botha.
Despite being introduced as a voting aid in the previous elections, access to the UBT can vary depending on socioeconomic factors, according to Zara Trafford, a senior researcher at Stellenbosch University specialising in disability studies, with a particular focus on health inequalities in South Africa. Spatial disparities undoubtedly have an effect on the delivery of assistive devices such as the UBT.
“Systems [such as the UBT] can work quite well in urban environments where there are lots of observers and people thinking about whether or not things are being delivered in the way they are supposed to be,” says Trafford.
Botha has been offered a braille template in the past, but she has typically turned them down. “It’s so much quicker for me to go into the booth with the person who I’m there with and to get them to make my cross for me,” such as a trusted friend or family member, she says.
For some members of the disabled community, the UBT provides an essential sense of independence.“For a lot of my friends and people that I’ve spoken to, they want the sense of being able to [vote] in an independent way. Some people do manage to do that with the use of the UBT, they will insist on it, and good for them,” says Botha.
Offering the UBT is an important step towards improving inclusivity, “the public needs to understand that every person with a disability has different accommodation needs,” says McKinney.
Beyond the UBT, the IEC has enacted other considerations to improve accessibility. The IEC provides special voting options for individuals with disabilities who may find it challenging to vote on Election Day. Through home visit voting and special votes at hospitals or old-age facilities, the commission aims to accommodate not only the diverse needs of disabled voters but also pregnant women and those whose ability impedes their attendance at the voting station.
With the upcoming general elections scheduled for Wednesday, May 29, the IEC has scheduled special voting and home visits for 27 and 28 May. The deadline to apply for special votes is May 3. But whether or not information regarding this accessibility option is reaching the disabled community is another matter.
Training is also provided to officials working at polling stations on the day of the elections. The IEC has emphasised the importance of training and supporting election officials to effectively serve disabled voters. With regards to voters who are visually impaired, “we even invite organisations representing the blind community such as BlindSA, South African National Council for the blind (Sancb), etc. to make presentations during our National training bootcamps,” according to IEC Spokesperson Kate Bapela.
Despite this, Botha notes inconsistencies in the training of IEC officials across polling stations, “I’ve had wonderful experiences at polling stations and really crappy ones.” Alternatively, McKinney feels that there has been progress in the acknowledgement of disabled individuals over the last 30 years. “I have found a big difference between early days compared to now. Now [the officials] seem to be a lot more open, so I feel that some training is filtering down,” she says.
“Of course, the IEC is only responsible for the actual election itself,” says Trafford. Regardless of IEC training, The experiences of the disabled community when it comes to voting have been multifaceted and often challenging. There is a prevalent dependency mindset surrounding disability, where the focus tends to be on individuals overcoming odds rather than acknowledging their rights as adults, says Trafford.
Systemic ableism throughout South African society pervades both the voting processes and political discourse with the disabled community. “What I’ve picked up from working with able-bodied people is that nobody wants to hear how ableism impedes our lives,” says Letimile. The first step to creating an accessible South Africa is to “educate and learn,” says McKinney.
Emma is a freshly graduated Journalist from Stellenbosch University, who also holds an Honours in history. She joined the explain team, eager to provide thorough and truthful information and connect with her generation.
Barriers and Ballots: Navigating Elections Within the Disabled Community
|
For the 27.79 million eligible voters who could make their way to the polls on 29 May, your day at the voting polls could go in various ways.
For South African citizens who are not part of the disabled community, election day may look a certain way: getting to your designated polling station, ensuring you are registered and on the voters’ roll, presenting a valid identification document, and finally making your way to an open booth and choosing which party to make your ‘X’ for.
This list could appear simple, and with the added benefit of a day off work (not to mention exercising a hard-fought constitutional right), 29 May is not a day fueled by anxiety for most.
However, the situation varies for those in the disabled community. According to Makgosi Letimile, an activist and disability inclusion coach who became a wheelchair user in 2016, the disabled community now represents between 10 and 15% of the population. Yet, in the realm of electoral participation, the disabled community in South Africa faces a myriad of challenges, ranging from physical barriers to societal attitudes.
Past Challenges and Current Realities
In 2019, when Letimile went to cast her vote, she was forced to drive to three different polling stations before being able to mark her ‘X’. “It was a nightmare. I remember driving to three different voting stations. The first voting station had stairs, the second voting station also had stairs, and then the third one was muddy, but people were willing to push me and help me to get to the hall,” says Letimile.
“It’s not just getting into the building,” says Dr Emma McKinney, a lecturer and researcher at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Sports Science and Development (ICSSD).
As a member of the disabled community, McKinney has had intimate experience with voting. She is hearing impaired, and her husband, Dr Victor McKinney, who also holds a PhD in disability studies, is a quadriplegic.
“What [people] don’t realise is that getting out of bed takes (my husband) two to three hours in the morning. It’s not just spring out of bed, and then you’re fresh to go,” says McKinney. In addition to getting to the voting station, McKinney has to consider entering the building to cast the vote. “We’ve had instances where the main entrance isn’t wide enough, and in fact, two voting stations we visited where water drains blocked the way,” says McKinney. “The carer had to lift [Victor] in his wheelchair, which is heavy, but also undignified as well.”
Despite the challenges faced on election day, voting within the disabled community remains fundamentally important. It represents an assertion of their rights and a means of advocating for change. “Yes, we have needs, but we also have very important things to say… our votes are also as important as those of a young 19-year-old,” says McKinney. With the disabled community accounting for 10-15% of the population, “we’re an untapped market,” she adds.
“We’re the largest, smallest majority in the country and nobody’s talking to us, and at the end of the day everybody that’s able-bodied is only temporarily able-bodied,” says Letimile, who adds that any mention of disability is something that she looks for in a political manifesto.
“Hopefully by 2030, when the next national elections come along, there will be a disabled candidate on the ballot paper, and that will be a person that people choose to vote for knowing they have gone into politics with the view of being of service to people with disabilities,” says Letimile. “I think we have a responsibility as a disabled community to represent ourselves,” she says.
The Role of the IEC in Promoting Accessibility
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), in collaboration with organisations like the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB), has introduced the Universal Ballot Template (UBT), a voting aid designed to facilitate individuals with disabilities and special needs in exercising their right to an independent and confidential vote.
Constructed from durable black plastic, the UBT accommodates a standard ballot paper. Its front features a flap with cut-out windows labelled in Braille and large, raised white print, allowing voters to align the ballot paper and make their mark without assistance. This is designed to ensure the secrecy of a vote.
The UBT is designed to be accessible to various groups, including blind and partially sighted individuals, people with dyslexia, the elderly, those with low literacy, and individuals with motor or nervous conditions that may affect their ability to hold a steady hand.
However, the extent to which this promotes inclusivity within the disabled community leaves some desirability. “The IEC have made some efforts towards accessibility, but in my experience, those haven’t been very well thought through,” says Dr Michelle Botha, a disability researcher and activist at Stellenbosch University. Botha Identifies as blind and makes use of a cane or a guide dog as well as computer literacy equipment designed for accessibility.
“Only 10% of visually impaired people in the country are Braille users. So, that doesn’t help. And number two, it’s actually very cumbersome,” says Botha.
The UBT is a numbered system, “which means that I need an IEC official to come into the booth with me and read out the ballot, so that I know which number I’m choosing”. This makes it difficult for the individual’s vote to remain a secret, “which is very important to me, and I think for most people it is,” she says.
The UBT was first introduced in South Africa in 2015 and first supplied during a national election in 2019. “When I go to my local polling station, I always ask if they have a UBT, and mostly they haven’t,” says Botha.
Despite being introduced as a voting aid in the previous elections, access to the UBT can vary depending on socioeconomic factors, according to Zara Trafford, a senior researcher at Stellenbosch University specialising in disability studies, with a particular focus on health inequalities in South Africa. Spatial disparities undoubtedly have an effect on the delivery of assistive devices such as the UBT.
“Systems [such as the UBT] can work quite well in urban environments where there are lots of observers and people thinking about whether or not things are being delivered in the way they are supposed to be,” says Trafford.
Botha has been offered a braille template in the past, but she has typically turned them down. “It’s so much quicker for me to go into the booth with the person who I’m there with and to get them to make my cross for me,” such as a trusted friend or family member, she says.
For some members of the disabled community, the UBT provides an essential sense of independence.“For a lot of my friends and people that I’ve spoken to, they want the sense of being able to [vote] in an independent way. Some people do manage to do that with the use of the UBT, they will insist on it, and good for them,” says Botha.
Offering the UBT is an important step towards improving inclusivity, “the public needs to understand that every person with a disability has different accommodation needs,” says McKinney.
Beyond the UBT, the IEC has enacted other considerations to improve accessibility. The IEC provides special voting options for individuals with disabilities who may find it challenging to vote on Election Day. Through home visit voting and special votes at hospitals or old-age facilities, the commission aims to accommodate not only the diverse needs of disabled voters but also pregnant women and those whose ability impedes their attendance at the voting station.
With the upcoming general elections scheduled for Wednesday, May 29, the IEC has scheduled special voting and home visits for 27 and 28 May. The deadline to apply for special votes is May 3. But whether or not information regarding this accessibility option is reaching the disabled community is another matter.
Training is also provided to officials working at polling stations on the day of the elections. The IEC has emphasised the importance of training and supporting election officials to effectively serve disabled voters. With regards to voters who are visually impaired, “we even invite organisations representing the blind community such as BlindSA, South African National Council for the blind (Sancb), etc. to make presentations during our National training bootcamps,” according to IEC Spokesperson Kate Bapela.
Despite this, Botha notes inconsistencies in the training of IEC officials across polling stations, “I’ve had wonderful experiences at polling stations and really crappy ones.” Alternatively, McKinney feels that there has been progress in the acknowledgement of disabled individuals over the last 30 years. “I have found a big difference between early days compared to now. Now [the officials] seem to be a lot more open, so I feel that some training is filtering down,” she says.
“Of course, the IEC is only responsible for the actual election itself,” says Trafford. Regardless of IEC training, The experiences of the disabled community when it comes to voting have been multifaceted and often challenging. There is a prevalent dependency mindset surrounding disability, where the focus tends to be on individuals overcoming odds rather than acknowledging their rights as adults, says Trafford.
Systemic ableism throughout South African society pervades both the voting processes and political discourse with the disabled community. “What I’ve picked up from working with able-bodied people is that nobody wants to hear how ableism impedes our lives,” says Letimile. The first step to creating an accessible South Africa is to “educate and learn,” says McKinney.
Emma Solomon
Emma is a freshly graduated Journalist from Stellenbosch University, who also holds an Honours in history. She joined the explain team, eager to provide thorough and truthful information and connect with her generation.
Sign up for our award-winning weekly Wrap of the news here. Check out our Weekly Roundup section for our Wrap archive.
Latest Stories
Here’s what SA’s teen girls want you to know about their state of mind
Does SA need a COVID-like ministerial advisory committee to deal with HIV funding cuts?
Q&A | How the incoming US tariff hikes will impact South Africa
Joburg’s green spaces at risk: COJ’s quiet move to sell public land alarms residents