Accessibility, efficacy, and improvements in voting methodology for visually impaired persons using a web-based electronic ballot system
Takahiro Miura, Akira Kitagami, Yasuhiko Fujinawa, Takeshi Nagoya · 2016
The accessibility of information communication and technology (ICT) is increasingly important for responding to the needs of people with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairments. However, especially in Japan, the introduction of electronic ballot systems has been delayed due to concerns about voting rights, voter anonymity and secrecy, and the rejection of multiple votes. Importantly, methodologies to facilitate voting by people with visual impairments in electronic ballot systems have not yet been established. In this paper, we determine the implications of reasonable accommodations in electronic voting systems for visually impaired people by analyzing their availability and effectiveness. We conducted our evaluation by introducing a commercial electronic voting system whose accessibility had been tuned based on our advice and using the system at the election of trustees for a Japanese association comprising many visually impaired people.