Sight-impaired voter plans legal action against Dudley Council in secret vote row
A severely sight-impaired man says he is planning to take legal action against Dudley Council after claiming he was denied his right to a secret vote at the General Election.
Graham Kirwan, from Brierley Hill, insists equipment provided at polling stations in the borough to aid people with sight problems is inadequate.
He was not able to cast his vote in May's election without assistance - and refused help as he says this would have compromised his right to a private vote.
He has not voted for nine years due to difficulties he has with the equipment and his refusal to allow anyone else into the booth with him.
Polling stations in Dudley are fitted with magnifiers to help people with sight problems see their polling cards but Mr Kirwan insists he is unable to use them.
The 55-year-old suffers with Juvenile Macular Degeneration, a hereditary condition he was born with and has left him with only peripheral vision.
He said: "When you go into the polling station you can have the ballot paper altered into large print but what they call large print is font size 14 and the majority of visually-impaired people can't read it.
"My neighbour took me to the polling station and we asked the people at the place what I should do as I am visually impaired. They said the only solution was for my neighbour to come in and help me.
"But I did not want someone to come into the booth and help me because then it wouldn't be a secret vote. Somebody else could put an 'x' in the box.
"The UK always tries to claim it is a democratic country but the majority are allowed to vote and some are not allowed to vote."
Mr Kirwan said he had contacted a solicitor over the issue and was attempting to take action against the council.
He claims the council is in breach of article 29 the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which states disabled people must be able to 'vote by secret ballot in elections'.
He believes introducing online voting would make it easier for disabled people to cast their vote in private.
"I want electronic voting. I want to be able to go to my own terminal and vote online," he said.
Phillip Tart, Dudley Council's strategic director for resources and transformation, said: "Ballot papers are printed in the format as specified by the legislation relevant to each individual election.
"All polling stations are provided with magnifiers and selector templates to aid partially-sighted people to vote independently and electors with disabilities can also be assisted by a companion or the presiding officer.
"Whilst we would be happy to talk with Mr Kirwan to understand his particular issues, for reasons of data protection we are unable to comment further, and we are not aware of any legal proceedings against the council at this time."