VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews.id):  The General Elections Commission (KPU) will conduct technical mentoring of voting organizing group (KPPS) officers to increase their ability to help voters with disabilities during the 2024 General Elections, commission member Betty Epsilon Idroos informed.

"KPPS officers will be trained in the mentoring (on how to help, for instance), visually impaired or quadriplegic people," she said here on Thursday.

The dissemination of information on technical mentoring for KPPS officers has been carried out at provincial KPUs, she added.

Apart from KPPS officers, she said, persons with disabilities can be guided by family members or other people who can make them comfortable while casting their vote.

KPU will provide a form that will need to be filled out by people helping disabled voters at polling stations.

"They have to be comfortable with who accompanies them. Is it a family member? (KPU) allows it," Idroos said.

Later, the accompanying family member will need to fill out a form stating the reasons and vow to keep the disabled voter's choice a secret.

"The form will be available at every polling station," she said.

According to her, there are a number of obstacles that KPPS could face in assisting people with disabilities on voting day, one of which is related to data.

To tackle this, Idroos asked social offices across Indonesia to help record data on voters with disabilities.

This will allow KPU to provide the best service to them, such as presenting disability-friendly polling stations, she said.

"For example, he/she uses a wheelchair. Then we will strive to set up the polling station not on thick grass such as a football field where it is difficult for people to use wheelchairs," she explained.Another example will be to avoid setting up polling stations at venues where people will need to climb stairs to reach them in order to assist persons using crutches. ( Antara )