Disability Rights and Elections Module

Holding free and fair elections contributes to fulfillment of the right to political participation. Of equal importance, the act or process of voting is critical to a person’s participation in democratic processes. To be able to exercise these rights regardless of culture, gender, ethnicity, race, political conviction, and belief systems is essential. In most countries, being able to cast a ballot in a public polling place is taken for granted by many. For people with disabilities, however, the accessibility of polling places and voting technologies as well as other aspects of the voting process can impact the ability of an individual to exercise their civic rights. Barriers to voting can take many interrelated forms: social, political, physical, and economic. For example, the impact of poverty and disability on voter participation is well documented. The social stigma of intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, couched in the medical model of disability, has led to barriers to full participation in political and public life. The physical inaccessibility of polling places, the functionality of voting technologies, and the knowledge that poll workers bring to the voting process often reflect societal attitudes and assumptions about those who have a right to vote and those who can be conveniently ignored. As a result, citizens with disabilities are often at a complex intersection between cultural beliefs about normality, competency, responsibility, and definitions of citizenship.
Access issues affect all aspects of an election. People with disabilities face numerous barriers to participation in political and electoral processes. This module examines strategies for promoting their participation in elections.
This module is designed for women and men in electoral management bodies, governments, donor agencies, DPOs and NGOs, gender specialists, disability specialists, as well as individual consultants and trainers, who are interested in access issues in relation to electoral processes, and/or have the responsibility of ensuring inclusion in their organizations.
The module explores some key governmental and societal elements that must be aligned to ensure all eligible voters are able to participate in all electoral processes. These include:

legal framework;
social and political opportunities and openness to political participation;
access to voter registration and voter education;
election management; and
election observation.
Identify people with disabilities who may encounter barriers to access in the electoral process, e.g. who have access issues due to their level of mental or physical ability, HIV/AIDS status, health, etc.
Gain appreciation of access-related electoral issues and concerns for people with disabilities
Provide guidance on monitoring the electoral participation of people with disabilities
Identify potential areas of discrimination in electoral processes for people with disabilities
Acquire skills in identifying and analyzing concerns through case study examples of strategies and practices to address concerns
Assess the obstacles faced by people with disabilities in public life
Compile ways in which people with disabilities can increase their role in election administration
Formulate Action Plans: Institutional and Individual.

Key Understandings

Persons with disabilities have the right to participate in political and public life and must be accorded the opportunity to enjoy political rights on an equal basis with others.
The community of persons with disabilities is diverse and accessibility needs are equally diverse.
Persons with disabilities face numerous and particular barriers in exercising their political and other rights.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) requires states to identify and remove barriers to political participation to achieve equal access to political and other rights.
Non-discrimination requires that electoral procedures, facilities and materials are appropriate, accessible and easy to understand and use.
Persons with disabilities must be provided with reasonable accommodations where needed to exercise their political and other rights.
Persons with disabilities and their representative organizations are election stakeholders and have roles to play in all phases of the electoral process.
Restrictions to political participation (voting and becoming a candidate) are not legal if a state is signatory to the CRPD.

Module Objectives

Identify barriers in all phases of the electoral process that can limit the access of persons with disabilities to participate in political and public life and identify solutions for dismantling these barriers.
Provide a networking opportunity for advocacy groups, as well as specific tools to analyse the electoral structures and procedures and develop strategies to promote access for persons with disabilities.
Emphasize the importance of consultation processes with persons with disabilities and their representative organizations throughout the electoral cycle – from post-election analysis through design of materials and procedures – in order to identify and remove barriers that limit political participation.