Accessible election materials
People in Scotland should be equally able to access information about and get involved in political activities. To achieve this, it is essential that campaign and membership materials are easily understood by all your members and potential voters.
It is good practice to produce your campaign materials, manifestos and leaflets in a variety of formats, for example: Easy Read, on audio, and using Braille. You should also always add subtitles to videos to enable people with a hearing impairment to engage with your online content and Party Election Broadcasts.
In some areas of Scotland, lots of people won’t speak English as a first language. It is important that parties anticipate this and where appropriate produce materials in languages other than English. You might want to consider making your campaign materials available in the 3 most spoken languages in that constituency or area. National parties should think about providing extra assistance and funds to local parties in areas where they know there are several languages spoken other than English. If you are unsure about which languages are most commonly spoken in your area, you can contact CEMVO or BEMIS for advice and information.
When translating materials and documents, you should use a reputable translator who is fluent in both English and the language you want to translate materials into. It is better to use a professional for this work rather than a volunteer.
The accessible materials check list:
- Produce materials, leaflets and manifestos in a variety of formats including Easy Read
- Always put subtitles on campaign films and Party Election Broadcasts
- Include images of women, disabled people, ethnic minorities and the LGBTI community being activists and speakers on all of your printed and online materials
- Consider translating materials into the 3 most common languages in the constituency
- Always use a reputable translator who is fluent in the language
