Paralympic champion Zulfiya Gabidullina puts voting accessibility to the test

The celebrated athlete cast her ballot at Polling Station No. 464 in her hometown of Taraz. Zulfiya personally evaluated the accessibility of the facilities for people with special needs, specifically checking for wheelchair ramps, accessible voting booths, and Braille guides for the visually impaired.

"This is an important day for the country. Like hundreds of thousands of Kazakhstanis, I could not remain indifferent, and I have made my choice," Zulfiya Gabidullina noted.

According to Aigul Ilyassova, secretary of Polling Station No. 464, there are four wheelchair users registered at the station, three of whom opted to vote from home.

"This required submitting a request for home voting in advance. The deadline for applications was 12:00 PM today. In such cases, a portable ballot box is brought to the voter by two commission members, accompanied by observers if they wish," she clarified.

She noted that the polling station received a total of nine requests for home voting from a group that included persons with disabilities, elderly citizens, bedridden patients, and their caregivers.

Sergali Aidakpelov, Chairman of the Zhambyl Regional Election Commission, noted that extensive efforts were made to ensure equal conditions across the region.

"All 513 polling stations were brought into compliance with accessibility requirements. For the first time, we introduced QR codes on voting invitations. These allow voters with disabilities to access audio information, details on station accessibility, specialized taxi services, sign language interpretation, and the procedure for off-site voting," he stated.

It should be noted that the polling stations are operating from 7:00 am until 08:00 pm Astana time.