Igor Cortés, 33, is demanding an accessible, barrier-free voting system for Chileans with disabilities in the midst of a most historic election.
Cortés, who has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), went to vote at a polling place located in the municipality of Talcahuano. He is only able to communicate with his eyes and through special computer software, so his sister read a statement he had prepared.
“People with disabilities are really abandoned by the State of Chile and it is a shame that in the 21stcentury we do not have the option to vote by electronic means,” the statement read.
“I want to make my position visible as a person with a physical disability due to the abandonment of the State and the authorities of the municipalities, regional governments and the central government, since the possibility of being active actors in any democratic process is taking away from us,” the statement continued.
“The fact of having ALS made me go through all the states of a person with a physical disability and that is why I empathize with all people who are in a position of dissent, since we are not thought, much less integrated and integrated in this capacity-building society, ” Cortés wrote.
In his statement, Cortés asked why voting cannot be carried out virtually – making the voting process inaccessible for many who cannot physically attend due to their disability.
“People with disabilities are really abandoned by the State of Chile and it is a shame that in the 21stcentury we do not have the option to vote by electronic means,” the statement ended.
