Together for participation
All EU citizens should be able to exercise their right to vote. It is how we contribute to the laws we live under and choose the people who govern us.
However, in practice, not all persons with disabilities can vote or stand for election. Polling stations may not be accessible, information may not be available in a way they can access or understand (braille or sign language for example) and so on. Also, some persons with disabilities may be deprived of the right to vote or stand for elections due to restrictions in their legal capacity.
The Commission is working with EU countries under its ten-year Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to help make democracy work for everyone.
The Easy-to-read version of this text is available here.
Equality at the ballot box
Every EU country has rules which condition how certain persons with disabilities may take part in elections, including European elections. For instance, in 18 countries blind people cannot vote alone and must rely on another person to cast their vote for them. Although authorities are working to remove obstacles, more needs to be done to make sure persons with disabilities can make their voice heard and participate in elections on an equal basis with others.
Under the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the European Commission has committed to continue working with EU countries, and with the Parliament, to help ensure that persons with disabilities can enjoy their political rights on an equal basis with others.
The Commission’s activities include:
- Working with EU countries in the European Cooperation Network on Elections to make sure persons with disabilities can play a full role in elections – as voters and as candidates.
- Working with this Network and EU countries to publish a guide of good election practices for more accessible elections by the end of 2023.
- Proposing measures to ensure citizens with disabilities have accessible information on conditions and detailed rules for registration as a voter or candidate in its proposals for revised laws on mobile EU citizens’ rights to vote and stand in EU and municipal elections.
- Seeking to address the needs of persons of disabilities in a compendium on e-voting.
- Use the EU’s Citizenship, Equalities, Rights and Values programme to help more people with different needs play an active role in our democracies.
For the 2024 European elections, the Commission’s efforts to promote turnout and participation will also focus on persons with disabilities.
The European Cooperation Network on Elections, a group made up of experts from EU countries, plays a key role in the exchange of electoral good practices, such as accessible polling stations, ballots and voting machines and the provision of adapted information, and specific voting arrangements for voters with disabilities. The Commission will continue to use the Network to support persons with disabilities in exercising their voting rights. This includes drawing up common references and practical advice. But we can all help raise awareness that the voice of persons with disabilities counts just like everyone else’s.