Ahead of this year’s General Election, the purpose driven creative and strategic agency GOOD partnered with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to launch a new campaign and raise awareness about how blind and partially sighted people cannot vote in secret.
The agency revealed that only 13% of blind and partially sighted voters felt that they could vote independently in the 2019 General Election. This is due to the fact that most have to be assisted by a companion or polling staff member to help read or mark their vote, leaving voters uncomfortable and vulnerable.
As part of the campaign, GOOD and RNIB have released a film that compares this experience to having cameras in the voting booths. The film depicts sighted members of the public being monitored and their voting choices being commented on.
Bryn Attewell, Executive Creative Director at GOOD, shared:
It’s incredibly important that we all have the same degree of secrecy when exercising our right to vote. But sadly, if you’re blind or partially sighted, you often have to have someone with you to put your cross down, so that secrecy is compromised. With this campaign we wanted to raise awareness of the issue, but also put people in the shoes of those with sight loss — after all, you wouldn’t like it if someone was watching you vote, would you?
In addition to the campaign, RNIB has written an open letter calling on the next PM to ensure everyone has the right to vote in secret.
Featured image: GOOD / RNIB