The elections to the European Parliament are one of the largest democratic events in the world. For many disabled people, it is difficult to exercise their right to political participation on an equal level to others.
When it comes to voting, there are many barriers. Disabled people who are under guardianship are often banned from voting. Disabled people who are confined to institutions are either not al-lowed to vote or can not get to a polling station, for example because they are not allowed to leave. There are many de-facto barriers. Polling stations might not be in inaccessible buildings, there is no transport available or voting sheets are not available in braille or easy to read.
- The European Economic and Social Committee has estimated that 400,000 persons with disabilities were excluded from the last European elections in 2019 because they were placed under guardianship.
- Research shows that many EU countries have inaccessible systems relating to registra-tion, voting and standing as candidates.
- Over 7 million people with intellectual disabilities in Europe face informational and communicational barriers in participating in political processes.
ENIL would like to find out more! We have prepared a survey that will allow to assess in greater detail to which extent disabled people, especially our members, can enjoy the right they are enti-tled to. Please fill out the survey and help us expand our knowledge: https://forms.gle/w9ZFQsPWUf48UU7z8
Our political participation survey is part of our Independent Living Survey and our Independent Living Map: https://enil.eu/il-map/. The information gathered this way has been communicated to the European Commission, Members of the European Parliament and national governments. We will us the data generated with this new survey to produce a new report which will be distributed to political decision-makers.
Thanks to the evidence you help us gather, we can continue our work!
Please send questions or inquiries to florian.sanden@enil.eu
