Australia says its new telephone-based voting system will give visually impaired people control over their votes

From ABC News in Australia:

The Australian Electoral Commission says a new telephone-based voting system will give visually-impaired people full control over their vote at this election.

The system is being rolled out across the country, including in Darwin and Alice Springs.

The commission's Territory manager, Robert Pugsley, says the vision-impaired can use the system at divisional offices.

Mr Pugsley says voters are marked-off the list and then taken to a room with a phone linked to a call centre.

"The blind person will have a discussion with the call centre.

"They won't know each other.

"And the call centre will take down their vote.

"The vote will be read by the call centre in terms of who the candidates are on the House of Representatives and the Senate and then that person is able to cast their vote."

Darwin voter Justin Van Boxtel, who has a hereditary eye disease which has left him with tunnel vision, cannot wait to cast his vote independently.

"I've had to usually get either my father or other family member to come along," he said.

"And every time that happens the scrutineers always come along and look over our shoulder to see what's going on to make sure everything's going good.

"So it will be quite good just to be able to go in and do that all on my own."