accessible polling place shall he located at the ground floor, preferably near the
entrance of the building, and is free of any physical barriers and provided with
necessary services, including assistive devices.
SEC. 3. Right to Participation in Electoral Processes. – The State shall guarantee the
political rights of persons with disabilities and senior citizens, in line with the concept of
universal design, by:
(a) Ensuring that voting procedures, facilities and materials are appropriate, accessible,
and easy to understand and use;
(b) Protecting the right of persons with disabilities and senior citizens to vote by secret
ballot in elections without intimidation, facilitating the use of assistive and new
technologies where appropriate; and
(c) Guaranteeing the free expression, in the exercise of the right of suffrage, of persons
with disabilities and senior citizens, allowing assistance in voting by a person of their
own choice.
SEC. 4. Duty of the Commission to Render Assistance to Persons with Disabilities and
Senior Citizens. – It shall be the duty of the Commission to render appropriate
assistance to persons with disabilities and senior citizens in coordination with
government agencies and civil society organizations.
SEC. 5. Record of Persons with Disabilities and Senior Citizens. – The Commission
shall keep an updated record of persons with disabilities and senior citizens who are
registered as voters, which indicates the types of disability and the assistance they
need, to assist it in determining policy directions for more inclusive and accessible
electoral processes. The record shall be made accessible to concerned government
offices, accredited citizens’ arms, civil society monitoring groups and other
organizations which promote the rights of the persons with disabilities and senior
citizens, subject to specific guidelines the Commission may promulgate to protect the
privacy of the individuals concerned.
SEC. 6. Registration and Updating of Records. – In designing the forms, the
Commission must ensure that persons with disabilities and senior citizens applying for
registration, reactivation, transfer, or correction of entry indicate the type(s) of disability,
as well as the form(s) of assistance needed.
Persons with disabilities and senior citizens who have previously registered but have
not indicated the type of disability, or who may have developed or manifested such
disability after having been registered, shall be allowed, during the periods to file
applications for registration, to update their registration records, and to indicate the type
of disability as well as the form of assistance they need during election day. The
Commission may design registration forms specifically for persons with disabilities and
senior citizens, or issue supplemental forms for the said purpose, and provide for
procedures to be followed by those who need to update their registration records.
SEC. 7. Assistance in the Accomplishment of Application Form. – A person with
disability or senior citizen who cannot by himself or herself accomplish an application for
registration, by reason of illiteracy or physical disability, shall be assisted by the Election
Officer in the preparation of his or her application form, or by any member of an
accredited citizens’ arm, or by a relative by consanguinity or affinity within the fourth civil
degree, or if he or she has none present, by any person of his or her confidence who
belongs to the same household.
SEC. 8. Satellite and Special Registration. – The Commission, in coordination with
national government agencies and local government units, person with disability and
senior citizen organizations, and other cause-oriented groups, shall conduct satellite
and/or special registration for persons with disabilities and senior citizens in accessible
places.
SEC. 9. Creation of Precincts for Persons with Disabilities and Senior Citizens. – The
Commission is hereby authorized to establish precincts of a nonterritorial nature,
exclusively for persons with disabilities and senior citizens who in their registration
records manifest their intent to avail of their right to a separate precinct under this
section. Pursuant hereto, the Commission shall establish at least one (1) such precinct,
assigned to accessible polling places, for every voting center. Such precincts shall be
provided with assistive devices as well as the services of experts in assisting persons
with disabilities.
SEC. 10. Ballot Design. – In designing the ballot, the Commission shall ensure
reasonable accommodation to persons with disabilities and senior citizens to enable
them to accomplish the ballots by themselves.