October 31 this year, a meeting of the Working Group on Ensuring the Electoral Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan was held under the chairmanship of Nurlan Abdirov. 

At the meeting of the Working Group, the issues of ensuring conditions for voting of persons with disabilities in the early elections of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on November 20, 2022, updating information about polling stations on the Interactive Map of Accessibility Portal “Accessible Environment,” as well as additional measures taken to ensure conditions for voting by persons with disabilities. 

Since 2017, a Working Group on Ensuring the Electoral Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been operating under the Central Election Commission. This year, the composition of the Working Group was updated by including authoritative republican and regional associations for the protection of the rights of citizens with disabilities and the format of work was improved. Of the 19 members of the working group, 17 represent public associations of persons with disabilities from 11 regions, cities of republican significance and the capital. New approaches to ensure the voting rights of persons with disabilities include various forms of support – sign language translation, special stencils, free invataxi, voting at home, ramps, tactile signs, etc. 

From 2021, the broadcast of the meetings of the Central Election Commission and informational video materials are provided with sign language translation. The website of the Central Election Commission maintains a section entitled “Voting Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” which contains information materials for persons with disabilities: audio, video, information materials with Braille script. Workshops are being held for election organisers on ensuring the electoral rights of persons with disabilities with the involvement of members of the Working Group. It is planned to make a stencil for blind and visually impaired voters to fill out a ballot using Braille. Members of the Working Group prepared a draft leaflet for members of precinct election commissions on ensuring conditions for voting for persons with disabilities. 

During the meeting, the Vice Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Yerbol Ospanov, also spoke about the work carried out by the Ministry to update information about polling stations on the Accessibility Interactive Map portal.

During the meeting, representatives of local executive bodies reported on measures to ensure voting conditions for persons with disabilities, equipping polling stations and voting premises. 

Following the meeting, the members of the Working Group noted the constructive course of the discussion of issues and the active work of the Central Election Commission on the implementation of the electoral rights of persons with disabilities.