A Renfrewshire group has welcomed a new voting system designed to help blind and partially sighted people cast their ballot with confidence.
Renfrewshire Visual Impaired Forum said the change could make a real difference ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary election on 7th May 2026.
Nicola MacNeil, from the forum, said: “This is a major change in voting for blind and partially-sighted people in Scotland and hopefully will make everyone feel that their voice counts.”
The new system uses a cardboard overlay that fits exactly over ballot papers. Each voting box lines up properly, with braille and raised numbers to guide voters.
It replaces an older plastic device that many said did not work well. Voters could not always be sure their mark was in the correct place. There were also concerns it could affect ballot secrecy.
Alongside the overlay, audio recordings of candidates will be available on council websites to support voters.
Catriona Burness from RNIB Scotland said the key improvement is accuracy.
She said: “This new system is cut to fit the ballot paper, so the squares match exactly where you vote.”
The overlays are produced to match each ballot paper. That means the number of boxes will change depending on how many candidates are standing.
The system has already been tested in some by-elections. The vote on 7th May will be the first time it is used in a major parliamentary election anywhere in the UK.
Chris Highcock, Deputy Returning Officer for Edinburgh and Secretary of the Electoral Management Board for Scotland, said previous support had not always worked well.
He said the new overlays would be used alongside other help, including audio ballots and support from polling staff.