A visually impaired voter gets to know the workings of an electronic voting machine at a training session conducted by the Department of Social Justice in Kozhikode city recently. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The Ministry of Social Justice and the Kerala Federation of the Blind (KFB) have joined hands in a major step towards empowering visually impaired voters to help them cast their votes independently without relying on a proxy voting service.
Under this initiative, visually impaired voters are offered scientific training on the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), supported by a team of 30 volunteers who recently completed the training in Kozhikode city.
“It was the visually impaired voters under KFB who were seeking formal training. Many of them are highly educated and want to exercise their voting rights independently at the polling booths,” said District Social Justice Officer Anju Mohan, adding that the exclusive program also supports Kerala’s state welfare mission.
According to the team of trainers, KFB members remain active on various instant messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram, which will help them conduct their own online training for their visually impaired friends in the coming days. The first round of master training held on November 19 has already inspired many members to prepare and distribute voice messages to expand the program’s reach.
“In Kozhikode district alone, we have 375 members who are ready to undergo virtual training. They all use smartphones with voice assistance, so it’s easy to follow lessons and join live demonstrations if they need clarification,” said S. Noushad, district president of KFB. He added that being able to vote independently in the upcoming local body elections would be a proud moment for many visually impaired citizens.
While the EVMs currently include Braille characters to guide visually impaired voters, some KFB members have demanded additional features, particularly the ability to easily identify candidates’ names. The machines currently offer only a beep to confirm that a vote has been cast, they noted.
Mr Noushad said the request has not yet been formally submitted to the electoral authorities as discussions are yet to take place on the feasibility of such accommodation for differently-abled voters, with earlier focus on the proxy voting service. He added that he hopes future voting machines will be designed to address the special needs of visually impaired people across the country.
Published – 21 Nov 2025 20:44 IST
