The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has opened registrations for persons with visual impairment to vote without assistance for the upcoming local council elections and women’s development committee (WDC) elections scheduled to take place in April 2026.
The registration deadline is February 23, Monday.
ECM said that for those individuals that opt to vote with the use of a tactile ballot paper template, registration is open till February 23, 2200hrs. To register an individual can call the designated hotline 1414. Registrations are open every day, except for Fridays from 0900hrs till 2200hrs, and on Fridays from 1500hrs to 2200hrs, it said.
This special tactile ballot paper template was first designed for persons with visual impairment to exercise their right to vote without assistance in 2023. This arrangement was first implemented for the 2023 Presidential Elections.
Previously, the ECM had also conducted training programmes across the nation on the use of templates in polling stations.
The ECM stressed the use of template is a progressive step towards ensuring the secrecy of an individual’s vote. This move also ensures the full right to vote is exercised in an independent manner, it said.