Israel's blind community uses new gadget to cast ballot independently
A tiny device that reads the text on ballots into the user's ear will help vote them independently.
JARUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel‘s blind and visually impaired community voted independently on Tuesday (April 9) in the national elections for the first time, using a visual aid attached to the side of spectacle frames.
Blind or visually impaired people would need an escort to cast their ballot but now with a tiny device that reads the text on the ballots into the user‘s ear, they can choose their ballot independently, ensuring a discrete vote.
In the first pilot of its kind in the world, Israel‘s Orcam deployed its device in 12 accessible voting stations across the country to assist over 20 thousand visually impaired people with the right to vote.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) across the country and close at 10 p.m. (1900 GMT). But the victor may not be decided immediately.
No party has ever won an outright majority in the 120-seat parliament, meaning days or even weeks of coalition negotiations will lie ahead.
