Blind people in Afghanistan have raised concerns this week over their ability to cast ballots in April's elections on Monday, saying the unavailability of proper voting cards would violate their right to vote.
However, Independent Election Commission (IEC) spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor said one of his family members may help blind people to drop their votes in the ballot box on election day. IEC officials have said that there are no specific statistics to show the exact number of blind people received voting cards.
Mohammad Rafee, one of the instructors in the Blind Professional School said blind people have said that "the lack of availability of ballots could undermine their rights to vote."
Ali Eftekhari, a Spokesman for the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled has said that up to 1000 blind people so far have been registered with the concerned ministry.
"Each vote makes the future. According to our statistics, 2.7 percent of the population constitutes the disabled people, we won't have a credible election if we ignore their rights to vote," he said.
IEC spokesman Noor said that blind people can vote with the help of a trusted friend, though that approach has come under criticism because it would violate the secrecy of the ballot.
"Votes are supposed to be cast secretly, every human has the right to vote secretly," said Moammad Ehsan Fayaz, an instructor in the Blind Professional School.
In more developed countries, special ballots have been designed for blind people to cast their votes in the elections. But in developing and impoverished countries blind people have far fewer options.