GR
Press release of the Municipality of Athens
Photos by Vassilis Lampiris
Translation of the original text in Greek: Panagiotis Seitanidis
Trained employees of the municipality will be at the election centers of Athens on Sunday to offer all the necessary assistance to People with Disability.
K. Bakoyannis: “Participation in the elections is a right that must be exercised unhindered for everyone”
With the aim of easy access for people with disabilities or mobility difficulties to the ballot box on Sunday to exercise their right to vote without obstacles, 250 employees of the Municipality of Athens, trained for the first time in a special seminar, will be from 07.00 in the morning that the polls open until they close at 19.00 at the voting centers of Athens, offering all the necessary assistance to PwDs.
With a special badge, the workers will be in all 120 school complexes that host 910 polling stations in the capital to guide people with disabilities to the rooms equipped with ramps and elevators or to the areas specially created for their convenience. Those civil servants are fully trained in the necessary procedure to avoid waiting at the ballot box or other inconveniences.
In his statement, the Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, emphasized:
“Participation in the elections is a right that belongs to all and must be exercised unhindered. On Sunday, municipal staff will be in all the voting centers in Athens to facilitate access to the ballot box for every citizen with a disability or mobility difficulties. We call on all those who until today remain hesitant to come out of their homes on Sunday and exercise – without reservations – their right to vote”.
The procedure was organized for the first time by the Municipality of Athens in the elections of last May, as that is when the relevant article of the electoral law was implemented (article 83, par. 3A of p.d. 26/2012), which provides for the creation of a specially formed reception and support area for voters with disabilities and reduced mobility in polling stations that do not meet the accessibility criteria for PwDs.
It is reminded that in the space inside the voting partition for the ballot selection, exclusive access – if necessary – apart from the voter, have either the judicial representative or the voter’s companion in the presence of the former.
It is also noted that in the polling center and the reception and support area for voters with disabilities and reduced mobility, the entry of guide dogs is allowed.
