Sandra Voe (87) from Shetland, has stared in a film which highlights the need for accessible voting for blind and partially sighted people.
The film depicts a woman, played by Sandra Voe, entering a polling station to cast her vote, and finding a security camera talking to her within her booth. The playful film then shows cameras making comments to other voters within their booths, making it clear that their vote will not be private or made in secret.
Sandra Voe began her on screen career in 1966, appearing in an episode of Dr Finlay’s Casebook, and since has appeared in Coronation Street, Taggart, Casualty, Monarch of the Glen, The Bill, Midsomer Murders, and Shetland. Her latest work with sight loss charity RNIB, highlights the need for accessible voting solutions for blind and partially sighted people.
The campaign film goes onto address viewers- Tom, one of RNIB’s Policy Officers, explains that blind or partially sighted people, like him, often must rely on telling someone else their vote. The campaign calls for support to help make accessible voting a reality, and to ensure people with sight loss have the means to vote in secret, like everybody else.
In the last General Election, only 13% of blind people could vote independently and in secret. Less than a third of blind voters said they were satisfied with their voting experience in elections across the UK in 2021.
Anna Tylor, RNIB’s Chair of Trustees said: “It’s been over 150 years since people have had the right to vote in secret, but this right still isn’t afforded to many of the 2 million blind and partially sighted people like me who face significant barriers to voting independently.”
RNIB has written an open letter, signed by a number of celebrity supporters including Michael Owen, Joe Joyce, Anthony Agogo and Chris Skelley calling on the next Prime Minister to make voting accessible once and for all, to ensure blind and partially sighted people can cast their vote independently and in secret.
*RNIB are calling for support to sign an open letter to the future Prime Minister to ensure every blind or partially sighted voter can vote independently. Sign at: https://rnib.in/OpenLetter
