Accessibility of elections for all
Facilitate access to information about the elections!
Voting is an act that allows people with disabilities to effectively exercise their political rights and to participate in the election of representatives to the assemblies responsible for decisions that may affect them. In practice, however, obstacles remain to the effective exercise of their rights. As stipulated in Article 29 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the State must ensure that access to elections is facilitated, among other things through procedures accessible to all.
Therefore, the Ministry of Family, Integration and the Greater Region has entrusted a working group created in 2017 with the mission of implementing the recommendations of the CRDPH expert committee concerning participation in political life. and more specifically the accessibility of elections for people with disabilities.
In order to make the voting material developed for the 2023 elections and access to the elections even more user-friendly, the support of all participants - voters as well as the municipalities responsible for organizing the elections - is required.
The project is divided into two phases:
- In a first phase - exclusively devoted to the municipalities - the municipalities are invited to take part in a survey.
- In a second phase, it is up to the general public to give their opinion on related aspects.
To conclude, the results as well as concrete measures concerning the accessibility of elections for people with disabilities will be presented.
Phases
Survey dedicated to municipalities
In order to be able to draw up an inventory of the arrangements in place at municipal level, more concretely to adapt, or even improve, the electoral material for the elections in 2023, which is drawn up by the working group, and thus make the elections more accessible, the municipalities have been invited to participate in this survey only visible to them.
The questions were about:
- Do you know the Klaro service?
- Do you know about the easy-to read language?
- Do you know the "Centre pour le développement des compétences relatives à la vue"?
- Do you know about the election stencil for the blind/visually impaired?
- Do you know about the "Zentrum fir politesch Bildung?"
- Do you know the "Check Politik" brochure?
- Do yoou know "Info Handicap"
- Do you know the "Accessibilité des bureaux de vote" brochure about the accessibility of polling stations?
- How has your municipality communicated about the layout for voters with disabilities?
- During the legislative (2018) and European (2019) elections, an easy-to-read invitation and rules were sent to the municipalities. When did you become aware of this information material?
- What measures have been put in place to make the elections accessible?
- Have you set up a coordinator for issues related to the needs of voters with specific needs?
- How many people made a request related to the accessibility of elections?
- How many people have used the blind/visually impaired stencils?
[PT]
Para poder elaborar um inventário das instalações existentes a nível municipal, em particular para adaptar ou mesmo melhorar o material eleitoral para as eleições de 2023, que está a ser desenvolvido pelo grupo de trabalho, e assim tornar as eleições mais acessíveis, os municípios foram convidados a participar neste inquérito.