Monitoring Committee on accessible elections convened in Villupuram

The District Monitoring Committee on Accessible Elections (DMCAE), chaired by Collector Sheik Abdul Rahman, convened here at the Villupuram Collectorate on Sunday.

The committee, comprising Municipal Commissioner, Differently-abled Welfare Officer, Social Welfare Officer, Chief Education Officer, differently-abled persons and non-government volunteers, is commissioned with the task of creating enabling conditions for voting by the differently-abled and to assess the action taken for the same.

Presently, over 18,600 differently-abled persons are registered as voters in the district. Sakshan — a mobile app for the differently-abled has been created by the Election Commission, the Collector said.

The DMCAE discussed the Election Commission guidelines for making polling places more accessible for differently-abled voters, starting with the setting up of ramps in polling centres, transport facilities, allowances for assistants accompanying differently-abled voters at the polling station.

The committee also sought suggestions and recommendations from non-government volunteers and differently-abled persons to make the voting process inclusive.