By: Gabriella Rabaa
2025 has been an election-filled year so far, with a snap provincial election in Ontario in February, and a federal general election in April, as well as five more provinces and territories going to the polls before the year is out!
As part of our advocacy work for more accessible elections, CNIB reached out to our community with surveys about their experiences voting in the Ontario provincial election and federal election.
The feedback we gathered from the surveys will help CNIB connect with electoral authorities about the barriers voters who are blind, Deafblind or have low vision encountered at the polls, and how to fix them so everyone can vote independently and in secret.
Below are some of the key takeaways from the surveys.
Federal Election Accessibility Survey Results
- 60 per cent of respondents felt they could generally vote independently
- 70 per cent of respondents felt they could generally vote in secret
- For those with total sight loss, only 39 percent felt they could vote in secret, and 24 percent felt they could generally vote independently
- Over 70 per cent of respondents agreed that introducing telephone voting, online voting, and accessible voting machines would make the voting experience more accessible to them
- Key barriers included improperly trained staff and a lack of information in accessible alternate formats
Ontario Provincial Election Accessibility Survey Results
- 59 per cent of respondents felt they could generally vote independently
- 66 per cent of respondents felt they could generally vote in secret
- Over 70 per cent of respondents agreed that introducing telephone voting, online voting, and accessible voting machines would make the voting experience more accessible to them
- Respondents with higher levels of sight loss were more likely to encounter accessibility barriers that impacted their ability to vote independently and in secret
- Key barriers included improperly trained staff and a lack of information in accessible alternate formats
For more information about these results or CNIB’s work on accessible elections, visit cnib.ca/advocate or email advocacy@cnib.ca,