Voting assistance: the McGonagle Reader will be in use at polling stations in Croydon for the first time next week
For Croydon residents whose vision is impaired, next week’s local elections will represent a breakthrough, as the council is providing special devices in polling stations which will allow them to cast their votes independently and in secret, just like their sighted neighbours and friends are able to do.
At the 2024 General Election, only one-quarter of blind people said that the system allowed them to vote independently and in secret.
Voting is still an overwhelmingly visual process of reviewing a list and marking a cross in a box. Without the right equipment, many blind and partially sighted people are forced to rely on others to mark the ballot in the way that they wish, compromising privacy and dignity. “That simply isn’t good enough in a modern democracy,” says Anna Tylor, the chair of trustees at the Royal National Institute of Blind People, the RNIB.
Polling stations in Croydon next Thursday will have a device called the McGonagle Reader available. The McGonagle Reader has the approval of the RNIB, who say its research shows that the combined audio-tactile device is the best accessible voting solution currently available.
Working in a company based in Northern Ireland, Patrick McGonagle has been developing tactile voting devices for a quarter of a century. His latest version, which will be used in Croydon next week, adds audio assistance into the machinery.
Croydon Council has been working with charities such as Croydon Vision and Age UK Croydon to better understand the support needed for accessible voting and test the new equipment.
The new equipment is part of the council’s wider programme to improve access to voting for people with disabilities and builds on a range of measures already in place.
The council says that all Croydon polling stations are wheelchair accessible, with temporary ramps provided where needed and low-level polling booths available. Nobody with a disability will be expected to wait in a queue.
Additional support – such as magnifying glasses, extra lighting and specially designed pencil grips – will also be available on polling day. Assistance animals will be welcome inside polling stations.
The McGonagle Reader is a significant move forward for Croydon.
“At a trial RNIB ran in collaboration with the Electoral Commission and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, this device ranked highest with a 93% accuracy rate for casting intended votes,” Tylor says.
“This will make a huge difference to voters with sight loss in Croydon, and the efforts of Croydon Council will hopefully set an example to other local authorities to improve accessibility for their blind and partially sighted voters at future elections.
“A truly fair election is one where everyone can vote independently and with confidence. On May 7, blind and partially sighted voters deserve nothing less.”
Croydon Council says, “Voters who would like to use a McGonagle Reader are encouraged to contact Electoral Services in advance.”
To discuss accessibility needs, email electoral.services@croydon.gov.uk or call 0300 373 0595.
- For the full list of candidates standing for Croydon Mayor, as published on the council website, click here
- For the full list of election candidates in the borough’s 28 wards, click here for the official listings on the council website
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