Training Section 2 There is often a lack of awareness within EMBs of the barriers persons with disabilities encounter when trying to vote and ways to mitigate them. There must be an increase in training for decisionmakers and mid-level EMB officials, particularly on the commitments described in Article 29 of the CRPD. Additionally, there must be targeted disability training for poll workers, who are the face of the EMB on Election Day. Even if a country has inclusive election laws, inadequate training of poll workers could lead to the exclusion of voters with disabilities. For example, the CRPD states that if a voter needs assistance when A Nepali woman reads voter registration information in Braille. casting a ballot, then he or she can select an assistant. However, some poll workers are not trained on this and insist on only allowing a poll worker to assist the voter. Poll workers must also be trained on how to administer the tactile ballot guide. EMBs from Sierra Leone to Kosovo have developed tactile ballot guides, but observers have witnessed poll workers who either do not offer the tool to voters who are blind/have low vision or incorrectly describe how to use the tool on Election Day. To remedy Good Practice this, several EMBs have produced a supplemental chapter in their In the Philippines, IFES supported poll worker training manual describing how to administer the vote the EMB in forming an Inter-Agency to persons with disabilities. Training should also cover the EMB’s policy on Election Day regarding queues. Are persons with disabilities, older people and/or pregnant women given priority to vote, or must they wait in line? Do voters have to ask to skip the queue or is it the responsibility of the poll workers to identify voters that might benefit from priority voting? Are chairs provided? The answers to these questions can vary from country to country, but the EMB should have relevant plans in place. Voter Registration Technical support to the voter registration process is one of the most important ways to ensure persons with disabilities can participate in elections. If voters with disabilities are not registered, they will not be able to take advantage of any access provisions on Election Day. In addition to issues that affect the entire electoral process, such as inaccessible information and locations, acquiring a national ID card or birth certificate can be an additional barrier to registration. and NGO Network on Empowering Persons with Disabilities. This working group develops inclusive policy recommendations, such as a nationwide campaign to register persons with disabilities to vote. The EMB holds a “Persons with Disabilities Week,” in which persons with disabilities are encouraged to register to vote. In addition to the media campaign surrounding this week, the EMB also uses some of the most accessible buildings in the country – shopping malls – as locations for registration centers and has developed an accessible website. Equal Access: How to Include Persons with Disabilities in Elections and Political Processes 45