Chile

Constitution Act on Popular Votes and Scrutiny (1988, last amended 2008)

Updated: June 2015

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Article 40 states:

The following persons may not be returning officers… foreigners, blind persons, illiterates.

 

Article 44 states:
…Any returning officer can excuse himself or herself from his or her duty. The excuses….can only be on the basis of…

  • (5) being physically or mentally unable to carry out the duty, which should be accredited with a doctor’s certificate…

 

Excerpts from the Constitution Act on Popular Votes and Scrutiny (1988, last amended 2008)

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Article 28 states:

In order to facilitate the voting of blind people, the Electoral Service will prepare identical templates of the ballot made of transparent material that is superimposed on the ballot and has slots where one can mark the desired preference…

 

Article 61 states:

…People with some disability that prevents them from exercising their right to vote or makes voting difficult can be accompanied to the station by someone who is an adult, and the person can choose to be assisted with voting. In case of doubt regarding the nature of the disability, the president of the polling station will consult with the returning officers in order to make a final decision. If a person with a disability chooses to be assisted, he or she will communicate verbally, with sign language, or by writing to the president of the polling station that a trusted person, who is an adult of either sex, will enter into the voting booth with him or her, with no other person presenting an obstacle to his or her right to be assisted while voting. The secretary of the polling station will record in the minutes that a voter was assisted, along with the identities of the voter and assistant.

 

Article 64 states:

…The elector will enter into the voting booth and will not stay there more than a minute, except for persons with disabilities, who can use a reasonable amount of time….Only a person with a disability who cannot enter the voting booth can vote outside the booth, but the polling station must adopt every measure to ensure the secrecy of the vote.

 

Article 65 states:

For persons with disabilities who vote without an assistant, the president of the polling station can, at request of the elector, help him or her fold and close the vote(s) with an adhesive stamp, an action which will be performed outside of the voting booth. This action will be recorded in the minutes. At every instance the president of the polling station will guard the secrecy of the vote of the person he or she is assisting.

 

Article 113 states:

It is the duty of law enforcement to make sure free access to polling stations is maintained and to prevent any agglomeration of people that make it difficult for people to access the stations…They also will ensure that persons with disabilities and those who accompany them in order to assist them in voting have expeditious and adequate access to the polling station. No one may impede the access to any polling station for an assistant of a person with a disability…

 

Excerpts from the Constitution Act on Popular Votes and Scrutiny (1988, last amended 2008)