Voting should be made a breeze for the elderly

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The silver-haired set wishes to vote, but we must make the process smoother for them. A Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Senior Citizens, a network of 28 organisations working in the space for welfare and rights of older people in Maharashtra, said it is confident that the upcoming local elections scheduled for next month will also be carried out well in the state. Some of the committee's recommendations to make voting more senior-friendly strike a chord.

The JAC has requested ground-floor polling booths with ramps, lifts, and wheelchairs at polling stations. It has also asked for priority voting or separate queues for senior citizens, with enough seating and shaded waiting areas. This, should also help another voting demographic - the people with disabilities, who will also find ramps and wheelchairs, of course, hugely beneficial. Some of these people, including the elderly, need an attendant or some assistance at the booth till a point which should be made available, or the possibility that they will arrive with their helper should be factored in.

Sometimes, there are separate queues for senior citizens, yet these should be enforced across all centres. We endorse the Committee's call for medical facilities at venues. Basic first aid kits and an ambulance stationed close by are necessary.

This is just the surface of the support network needed. Clear instructions from the time the voter leaves his premises, help desks along the way which can guide people, remind them about what they need to establish identity and be allowed to vote, is important, so that they can take everything along and are not asked for a document they do not have at the poll booth. Make this set of citizens feel counted and cared for; their voices are as important as others.