Blind and partially sighted voters call for changes to voting system

Blind and partially sighted voters are calling for changes to the current voting system, which they say prevents them from voting in private.

If you have a visual impairment this might be how you see a ballot paper.

Campaigners want to modernise the system to make it accessible to everyone.

Credit: ITV Wales

Eighty per cent of people surveyed by Royal National Institute for the Blind who used a tactile voting device said that they voted with another person.

The two voting aids currently available to blind and partially sighted people, a large-print ballot paper or a tactile voting device, a plastic template that fits over the ballot paper, can still mean people need a sighted person to guide them where to put their cross.

Dan Thomas wants the voting system to change. Credit: ITV News

Dan Thomas, 32, from Cardiff, says that existing voting arrangements do not consider the many diverse needs of blind and partially sighted people across Wales.

Mr Thomas said he's asking for the "same rights as everybody else".

The RNIB said it's "simply not acceptable" for people to not be sure of who they've voted for.

In a statement, the UK Government said they're working with the RNIB to "develop alternative options."

Watch Paul Davies' report here: