Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva has proposed that the Central Election Commission (CEC) set common rules for checking whether polling stations are accessible to people with disabilities, her press office said. The 10 steps should apply already to Sunday's run-off.
The proposals are in a letter to CEC chair Georgi Horozov. They follow reports from people who have trouble casting their vote.
Delcheva says a ground-floor polling station is not always accessible. Steps, unsuitable ramps, narrow entrances and other barriers often make voting hard or impossible for people who use wheelchairs, crutches or walkers, and for older people with limited mobility.
Regional election commissions and local authorities should check the whole route in advance, from the street or car park to the polling station. If there are barriers, they should remove them or find another suitable room.
The ombudsman also proposes safe ramps, accessible parking spaces, a suitable place for the voting machines and advance information on conditions at each polling station.
The letter comes with a draft checklist. It lists the problems found, the bodies in charge and the deadlines to fix them. A follow-up check should also take place before election day.
In the presidential election, 9,373 polling stations have voting machines. In 2,249 of them there are two machines each, making 11,622 machines in all.