Keystone
Blind and visually impaired people will be able to vote in the referendum on November 30 without assistance for the first time. This is made possible by a federal voting template, which is being tested for the first time in the canton of Zurich.
Until now, voters with severe visual impairments or blindness have not been able to fill in their ballot papers independently. They had to rely on the help of sighted people.
The federal government has now developed a tactile cardboard template with Braille, as it announced on Thursday. Ballot papers are inserted into this template and cut off at the top left. Visually impaired people can then trace “yes” or “no” with a pencil in punched-out orientation aids.
During the test phase, the cut-out ballot papers will only be available in the canton of Zurich and only for federal referendums. The cut ballot papers and templates should then be available in all cantons in the second half of 2026.