People with intellectual disabilities face all kinds of barriers preventing them from exercising their right to vote and to stand for elections. Ahead of European Elections 2024, the European Commission published Guide of good electoral practices for participation of persons with disabilities.
“The ability to participate in elections is essential to a vibrant democracy. This goes beyond simply having the right to vote; it also means being able to stand as a candidate, join a political party, get involved in the electoral process as an election official or election observer and access information. It includes being able to express your electoral preferences freely and fairly, in full secrecy. All citizens should be able to participate effectively in the political life in the EU. Every vote counts. And yet participating in political life remains a challenge for many.”
The European Commission document gives an overview of laws and policies relevant to making elections accessible. The document also provides a lot of examples of how EU countries support election accessibility.
“Citizens with intellectual impairments face particularly significant hurdles in exercising their political rights, given an array of legal and administrative barriers.”
Right to vote
“European Parliament 2022 resolution on equal rights for persons with disabilities called for amendments to the European Electoral Law and to any relevant national law to ensure that all persons with disabilities can vote and stand as candidates in elections on an equal basis with others. Decisions to deprive persons of their legal capacity due to disability taken by the Member State of origin should not make EU citizens ineligible in their Member State of residence if the law of that Member State upholds that right for all persons with disabilities without restrictions.”
“The European Court of Human Rights considered the compatibility of the provisions on elections of the European Convention of Human Rights with the disenfranchisement of persons placed under guardianship in several cases. (…) The ECtHR concluded that an indiscriminate removal of voting rights, without an individualised judicial evaluation and solely based on a mental disability necessitating partial guardianship, cannot be considered compatible with the legitimate grounds for restricting the right to vote.”
“Inclusion Europe … developed a national guide entitled Voting for All!, Recommendations for Accessible Elections in Europe, and a collection of good practices for accessible elections in Europe.”
Elections and cognitive accessibility
“Disability organisations can also help prepare official electoral materials and training, including election-specific information in plain language, as done in Lithuania, Luxembourg and Portugal, and easy-to-understand poll cards, as in Hungary.”
“Spanish Ministry of the Interior and Plena Inclusión pilot project for accessible signage launched during local elections in 2023. This involved distributing posters to promote cognitive accessibility for persons with intellectual disabilities and older persons in polling places in Madrid. The project was also implemented in the latest parliamentary elections. It features seven pictograms designed by Plena Inclusión to facilitate access to the polling place, and a guide.”
“Spain provides specific support for persons with visual, hearing, or intellectual impairments, which is publicly funded. This includes easy-to-read manuals.” “Most Member States prepare and distribute voter education materials and provide electoral information for specific groups of voters, such as persons with disabilities. They provide information on elections in various formats such as video, audio, large print, leaflets, handouts and brochures in easy-to-read language, Braille and ‘daisy audio books’.”
“In Hungary, voter information campaigns include individual voter notifications and tailored messages for persons with disabilities. They provide poll cards in easy-to-understand language and accompanying easy-to-read material, at the request of the voter.”
Campaign information
“In France, candidates are invited to make available all election campaign documents simultaneously in printed paper form, on a website and in an accessible format. It must also be available in an easy-to-read and understand version.”
Support in voting
“Persons with disabilities may receive assistance during the voting process in every Member State. There are some differences in who may assist the voter and the conditions the voter must fulfil. In most Member States, such as Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Slovenia and Sweden voters with disabilities can be assisted by any person they trust, without restrictions.”
Good news from Slovenia
And, there is further good news in right to vote for people with intellectual disabilities! Slovenia published a new law that cancels restrictions to right to vote based on guardianship, and adds measures for better election accessibility.
“We need to make sure the MEPs we elect in Europe will fight for our rights.”
Tamara Byrne is a self-advocate from Ireland, who represents Inclusion Europe in EDF Youth Committee. Tamara talked to EDF about voting:
“I think everyone should get to vote for what they think is important. Everyone should have the right to vote. It wouldn’t be a fair society if some people were allowed to vote, and others weren’t.”
Read also:
- Inclusion indicators
- Right to decide
- Use your vote (If you have one). Right to vote of people with intellectual disabilities and European elections 2024