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   Disabled voters 'disenfranchised' by access barriers
People with disabilities could find it difficult to vote at polling stations at the general election because of access problems, a leading charity has said. Scope says local authorities must do more to tackle access barriers at polling stations. The disability charity surveyed 2,000 polling stations across England and Wales at the 2005 general election. It found that 68 per cent had one or more serious access barriers that could prevent disabled people from voting independently and privately. Scope says there are as many as 15,000 disabled people in each constituency. They face barriers such as no access for wheelchair users, voting information in inaccessible formats or polling station staff who were unhelpful or unaware of disabled voters' needs. Similar problems were experienced with postal voting as 63 per cent of disabled people Scope surveyed said they also found this inaccessible. Inaccessible polling stations will be used at the May 6 election, with some located in caravans and Portakabins. "In a modern democracy like Britain, it should not be so difficult for disabled people to cast their vote," said Scope chief executive Richard Hawkes. "Disabled people make up a significant proportion of the electorate, and their needs cannot be overlooked. "It is not too late for local authorities to make a difference by doing things like installing temporary ramps or providing training for staff." In the run-up to the election Scope is running campaign - called POLLS APART - to improve access to voting for disabled people. Source: epolitix.com Copyright Dod's Parliamentary Communications Ltd
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