Read the full statement in English/Dhivehi
11 March 2026
The Blind and Visually Impaired Society of Maldives, the Maldives Deaf Association, Transparency Maldives, and the Maldives Local Councils’ Association express serious concern over accessibility barriers in the upcoming Local Council and Women’s Development Committee (WDC) Elections scheduled for 4 April 2026 and the concurrent national referendum.
Despite repeated concerns raised by disability organizations and members of the National Advisory Committee for Elections, the current arrangements by the Elections Commission fail to ensure that election information and voting procedures are accessible to Deaf voters and blind and visually impaired voters. The absence of accessible information and independent voting mechanisms risks excluding persons with disabilities from meaningfully exercising their right to vote.
Ensuring equal participation in elections is a fundamental democratic obligation. The Elections Commission Act (Act No. 8/2008) mandates the Commission to facilitate the proper exercise of the right to vote and to conduct public education and awareness on the electoral process. The Constitution of the Republic of Maldives guarantees the right of every citizen to vote. The Maldives is also bound by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (Law No. 8/2010) and its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which require states to ensure that persons with disabilities can participate in political and public life on an equal basis with others.
However, persons with disabilities continue to face significant barriers in accessing election information and participating independently in the electoral process.
Barriers Faced by the Deaf Community
Deaf voters have raised serious concerns regarding the lack of accessible election information. Despite clear legal obligations to ensure equal participation in the electoral process, the Elections Commission has failed to provide election information in formats accessible to the Deaf community.
To date, official election announcements, public information materials, and awareness videos related to the upcoming Local Council Election and WDC Election and the concurrent national referendum have not included Maldives Sign Language interpretation. As a result, Deaf voters have been unable to access essential information about voter registration, re-registration requirements, polling arrangements, and voting procedures.
Members of the Deaf community report that many voters remain unaware of the re-registration process, do not know how to check the location of their polling station, and do not have clear information about how the voting process will take place. Many voters also report that they do not fully understand the nature of the vote being conducted, for the referendum being held alongside the Local Council and WDC Elections.
Requests to provide sign language interpretation in election-related communications have reportedly been declined on the basis of budget limitations. Accessibility, however, is not optional. It is a legal obligation and a fundamental requirement for inclusive democratic participation. Financial constraints cannot justify the failure to provide voters with information in a language they can access.
Furthermore, the fact that ballot papers are provided only in Dhivehi poses a significant barrier. For many Deaf Maldivians, English is the primary language used for reading and writing. The absence of English text on ballot papers restricts their ability to navigate the ballot independently and exercise their right to vote with confidence.
In addition, requests from the Deaf community to include candidate photographs alongside candidate names on ballot papers have not been accommodated. Such visual identifiers would enable Deaf voters and others with communication or literacy barriers to more easily recognize candidates and cast their vote independently.
The continued absence of accessible election information and visual identifiers creates significant barriers for Deaf voters to understand the electoral process and participate confidently and independently in both the Local Council Elections and the national referendum.
Barriers Faced by Blind and Visually Impaired Voters
In 2023, ballot templates were introduced to enable blind and visually impaired voters in the Maldives to cast their vote independently and by secret ballot. However, the current implementation of this mechanism continues to create significant barriers for voters.
Under Section 45(c) and 45-1 of the Elections (General) Act (Law No. 11/2008), the Elections Commission is legally mandated to facilitate independent and secret voting for visually impaired citizens through the provision of ballot templates at polling stations. Although these templates were available at every polling station when they were first introduced in 2023, the rules in the General Elections Regulation (R-48/2020) have since been changed to require blind voters to register for every election in order to access this facility.
This regulatory requirement effectively restricts a fundamental right granted by the parent law, transforming a legal guarantee of accessibility into a conditional privilege. Furthermore, disability organizations note that this regulatory change was introduced without consultation with blind and visually impaired voters or their representative organizations. In the absence of an official list of blind voters maintained by the Commission, this places the entire administrative burden on individuals to repeatedly register to exercise their right to vote independently.
At the same time, there has been limited public awareness regarding the availability of ballot templates. As a result, many blind and visually impaired voters may not be aware that this option exists or that they must register in advance to access it. In the absence of a comprehensive list of blind voters, the most practical and inclusive approach would be to ensure that template ballots are available at all polling stations so that any voter who requires the facility can access it. However, the Elections Commission has objected to this approach, citing cost concerns.
In addition, reports indicate that voters seeking assistance through the 1414 election hotline have received inconsistent information regarding accessibility arrangements. Election officials themselves also appear to have limited information about the procedures required for blind voters to access template ballots.
These barriers risk preventing blind and visually impaired voters from exercising their right to vote independently and and by secret ballot.
Furthermore, accessible information regarding the national referendum being held alongside the Local Council and WDC Elections has not been adequately provided to blind and visually impaired voters, limiting their ability to make an informed decision on a matter of national importance.
Accessibility Is a Democratic Obligation
Ensuring accessibility in elections is not optional. It is a legal and democratic obligation under national law and international commitments.
The scale of this exclusion is substantial. According to data from the Maldives Census 2022 (Maldives Bureau of Statistics) these systemic barriers affect an estimated 4.5% of the electorate. This total includes approximately 8,150 individuals who are blind or visually impaired (3.1%) and 3,813 Deaf individuals (1.4%). By maintaining restrictive regulations and inaccessible procedures, the Elections Commission is effectively marginalizing a significant portion of the population and undermining the inclusivity of the democratic process.
An election that excludes persons with disabilities from participating fully undermines equal citizenship and democratic participation. Furthermore, the inclusion of a national referendum alongside the Local Council Elections significantly increases the information burden on voters. For many voters with disabilities, particularly Deaf voters and blind and visually impaired voters who have not received information in accessible formats, the lack of accessible voter education makes it difficult to understand the nature and implications of the referendum.
Failure to provide accessible information for a vote that will influence constitutional governance raises serious concerns regarding the inclusiveness of the decision-making process.
We call on the Elections Commission to:
– Ensure that all official election information and public awareness materials include Maldives Sign Language interpretation.
– Provide accessible voter education materials and clear information on registration and voting procedures for persons with disabilities.
– Ensure that accessible voting arrangements for blind and visually impaired voters are clearly communicated and available at polling stations.
– Review administrative procedures that create barriers to independent voting for persons with disabilities.
– Provide training to election officials and hotline staff on accessibility measures and assisting voters with disabilities.
– Engage directly with representative organizations of persons with disabilities to address accessibility barriers before polling day.
The right to vote must be guaranteed for all citizens. Accessibility is essential to ensuring that elections are inclusive, fair, and democratic.
-ENDS-
Blind and Visually Impaired Society of Maldives
Maldives Deaf Association
Transparency Maldives
Maldives Local Councils’ Association
