Accessibility of voting

Each voter’s notification states whether the polling station is accessible or not and where information can be obtained on accessible polling stations and aids. If the polling station is not accessible, voters may apply for a polling card so that they can vote in another polling station of their administrative district or town which is accessible. As a matter of course, it is also possible to vote by post. Voters applying to vote by post do not have to indicate a reason why they will not be able to go to the polling station on election day.

More information is given on the polling card and in the instructions provided together with the postal ballot documents.

See also: Postal ballot

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People who are not able to read, have inadequate reading skills or, due to a physical impairment, are not able to mark the ballot paper on their own, fold it or put it into the ballot box, may be assisted by another person at the polling station or in postal voting. Such voters may choose whom they want as a helper, for instance a member of the electoral board. The helper may enter the polling booth together with the voter if that is necessary to provide the assistance required. However, helpers must do only what the voter wants them to do and are obliged to keep their knowledge of that vote confidential.

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By using ballot paper templates, blind and visually impaired voters can cast their votes on their own in Bundestag and European elections without the assistance of helper. Ballot paper templates are provided free of charge by the Land associations of the German Association of Blind and Visually Impaired People (DBSV).

Since the 2002 Bundestag Election and the 2004 European Election, ballot paper templates have been offered in all of Germany. The associations of the blind are reimbursed the costs of template production by the Federal Government.

For orientation purposes, the upper right corners of all ballot papers have been punched or cut off and the upper right corner of the ballot paper template has been cut off. Together with each template, information is supplied on the structure of the template and on the ballot paper. Depending on the Land association, that information is in Braille, on an audio CD, in DAISY format or in large print. This enables blind and visually impaired voters to mark their ballot paper on their own in the polling booth on election day or before if they vote by post. Those casting their vote at the polling station should however take their ballot paper template home afterwards to ensure the secrecy of the ballot. It is not possible to tell from the ballot paper if a template has been used or not.

Persons wishing to vote with the help of a ballot paper template do not have to be members of an association of the blind. They may order such a template via the

• nationwide DBSV hotline
  tel: +49 1805 666456 (max. 0.14 euros/min. from the German fixed line network, calls with a mobile phone are more expensive)
• from the Land associations of the DBSV

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