I remember the first time I voted in an election—Alberta’s last provincial election, in fact. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’d been advised to anticipate, well, just about anything. Some blind voters wove enchanting tales of gloriously accessible experiences: knowledgeable volunteers, helpful Braille overlays to make paper ballots accessible, and plenty of dignity for everyone. (Yay!) Other visually impaired voters described confusing polling station layouts, bewildered election officers, and ballots that were impossible to fill out independently. Since I was voting via a mobile polling station on my university’s campus, I had no way of knowing what would be waiting for me.
The experience was about as bad as it could have been, I’m sad to say. If I hadn’t happened to run into a sighted friend on my way to the polling station, I would have been totally demoralized by the disorganized space and baffled volunteers who were supposed to be managing things. I could tell they all meant well, but no one seemed sure of how to handle the situation. Indeed, one of them made a phone call, pleading for help: “What am I supposed to do with a blind person?” (She … she really couldn’t think of another way to put that?)
In the end, after much table-shuffling and whispered conversation, it was decided that my sighted friend should fill out my ballot for me. No one present, besides the friend in question, offered to assist me; I believe they figured I’d intentionally brought her along for that very purpose. There was no formal procedure, no consent form or oath of any kind, and the entire rigmarole took so long I was beginning to sense I was holding up production with my pesky access needs. The experience was so unpleasant it took a lot of courage to vote in the federal election that came soon afterward. As this post points out, Elections Canada didn’t have their act together any more than Elections Alberta had. Voting may have been my sacred right under democracy, but standing among those frazzled volunteers, I felt as though I were asking for the ocean in a cup.
Today, I voted in the 2019 Alberta provincial election, hopeful and eager to give the process another shot. Friends who’d voted in advance polls claimed their experiences had been considerably more encouraging this time around, and I thought I might get lucky. I was also excited to vote in a regular polling station rather than a mobile one, which might have better-trained elections officers. A girl can dream! However, I did bring my partner with me, just in case. That turned out to be a sound decision.
For the most part, things went well this time. The polling station had adequate signage, and seemed well-organized. There were people stationed near the entrance to help voters find their way, and everyone I interacted with seemed competent and self-assured. I got the impression that these people were working together like a well-oiled machine, which I found reassuring. In general, I can’t fault anyone working at this polling station, and I believe the inconsistencies I’m about to recount were down to incomplete training and preparation.
My partner and I approached the voting table, only to be told that the sole work-around for filling out my ballot was to request assistance, either from an officer or from my companion. The officer we dealt with was unfailingly kind, but obviously nervous. He frequently directed questions to my partner instead of me, and I had to work hard to redirect him. He seemed so uncomfortable with the whole procedure that, after listening to his halting explanation of how to complete the special declaration form, I knew I’d not be leaning on this well-meaning but flustered stranger—not when an alternative was available, anyway.
First, my partner read and signed a brief oath swearing to provide assistance to me. Then, the elections officer signed as a witness. I waited, assuming I’d also be asked to sign, seeing as I was giving official permission to let another person cast my vote for me. Surely, something of this gravity would require my explicit consent.
Nope.
Immediately after signing as a witness, the officer waved us behind the table, and my partner filled out ballots for us both. I trust him without reservation, of course, but it all felt a little too easy, too casual, for my liking. Before I knew it, my partner was handing both our ballots back to the officer to check, and I didn’t even get to place my own ballot in the slot. And the lack of a Braille ballot—a low-tech overlay that’s easy to produce and easy to use—was still bugging me as we walked away from the table.
As soon as we left the station, my partner burst out: “I can’t believe they didn’t make you sign anything! It’s your vote! That doesn’t seem right.”
Perhaps it didn’t seem right because, according to this summary of the Election Act, it wasn’t. The summary states that according to the section on voter assistance, both the person providing assistance and the disabled voter must take an oath. For whatever reason, that was either excluded from the declaration we were given, or a separate form wasn’t provided at all.
More interesting still, the act goes on to specify that a visually impaired voter can use a “voter template,” which I assume refers to a Braille and/or large-print overlay, if they don’t’ want to be assisted by anyone else. The language seems clear, but if there was any kind of template designed to help me, no one knew about it. As always, the incredible inconsistency of the process obstructed proper accessibility, even though the language in the Election Act is unambiguous.
All in all, things could definitely have been worse. I had a partially sighted person with me to curb some of the awkwardness. The officers were respectful to a fault. The station was easy to locate and even easier to navigate. I enjoyed the atmosphere and made sure everyone knew I appreciated their service.
But, considering how important it is that elections be fair and accessible to all, our provincial and federal agencies have a long way to go before every disabled person can expect a dignified, consistent voting experience.
I tolerate messy processes in every other area of my life, and I try to do so with grace because life is busy and we’re all doing our best with what we have. When it comes to voting, though, I think I can reasonably expect better.