OSCE Mission to Montenegro working to support improving accessibility of elections for people with disabilities

On 4 July 2022, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro facilitated a discussion between the State Election Commission, the Union of the Blind and municipal electoral commissions on how to ensure that people with disabilities can exercise their right to vote in secret in the upcoming municipal elections on 23 October.

The Association of Youth with Disabilities and the Union of the Blind with support from the Mission drafted guidelines for municipal electoral commissions on how to improve the accessibility of polling stations.

In March, the State Election Commission amended its secondary legislation to ensure that people with disabilities can vote independently and in secret. The amendments provide that polling stations must be accessible, including low-level polling booths, and equipment for visually impaired voters improved.

The Chair of the State Election Commission, Nikola Mugoša, said that the drafting process for these changes to the legislation was inclusive and included close co-operation with the Union of the Blind and the Association of Youth with Disabilities, supported by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro. "The aim of this meeting is to put these changes into practice for the October elections," said Mugoša.

Goran Macanović, Executive Director of the Union of the Blind said he understands the limitations municipal electoral commissions face in terms of resources and support they receive, and added that municipal electoral commissions can find many practical solutions if they accept the importance of this topic.

Katarina Bigović-Kulić, the representative of the Union of the Blind, presented the standards for polling stations to be accessible to people with disabilities.

Darko Brajović, Mission's Democratization National Programme Officer, explained that to implement these changes, closer co-operation between municipal electoral commissions and the Ministry of Interior is necessary in designating polling stations, as well as between election management bodies and municipal assemblies. "The Mission will continue to work with election management bodies and NGOs to ensure people with disabilities can exercise their right to vote independently and in secret," said Brajović.