Buchanan, Grand Bassa – A physically challenged woman at the Group of 77 in Buchanan City has heap praises at the National Election Commission (NEC) for putting in place measures that ensured disabled people in the county cast their votes in the October 10 polls without hindrance.
Mamie Josiah, who is a mother of three, told LocalVoicesLiberia that unlike the recent general elections it was difficult for disabled people in vote in the county.
“When we used to go vote the line used to be very long and the people could not give us chance to vote, so we use to go back home,” she recalled.
She said many of her kind could not endure the challenges of standing I long queues during elections. This, she said, always made them felt disenfranchised.
“This gone election was the first election that my friends and I enjoyed because when we reached to the polling center the police along with the other citizens helped us and allowed us to vote quick to go back home,” Josiah said of the polling process.
She said even visually impaired voters (the blind) were allowed to take along with them someone they trusted to help them marked the ballot paper behind the curtains before casting it.
She then expressed her willingness to participate in any future general and presidential elections.
“I will go vote again on November 7 if the National Election Commission do it the same way they did it in October,” she said confidently while sitting in her wheelchair.
She also called on NEC to keep up the “good work” by giving physically challenge voters easy access to polling places to cast their votes.
“I want to tell the National Election Commission to continue to think about us because another election is coming,” she said.
The Group of 77 in the port city hosts people living with disabilities. There are over 60 disabled people residing there. It is the largest of four different disabled communities in the county.
Report By: Elton Wrionbee Tiah