NEWHAM LONDON

Roll-out of the McGonagle® Reader

THE CHALLENGE

There is a legal requirement for visually impaired persons to be able to vote in secret and thus participate in the electoral process equally with sighted persons. Returning Officers are responsible for ensuring this and in Newham London they have adopted the McGonagle® Reader to comply with the legislation.

At the last General Election in 2024 RNIB research found that approximately two-thirds of blind voters had assistance from a family member/companion or polling station staff to cast their vote. Clearly this negates the principle of a secret ballot. The London Borough of Newham with 300-plus officially registered blind or partially sighted voters recognised this and for the Local Elections in 2026 they employed the McGonagle® Reader (MGR) across the Borough. Newham’s Interim Chief Executive, Paul Martin shared his thoughts on the issue with a video that can be viewed here.

Prior to the election Newham gave blind residents a chance to register and preview the MGR to familiarise themselves with its operation before casting their actual vote on the Polling Day. Feedback from Newham users was positive along with others from the 50 councils across England using the MGR.

View this video of the Newham experience or learn more about the MGR.

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