The European Disability Forum (EDF) has published a position paper on the reform of the European Union (EU) electoral law, following proposals published by the European Parliament to to make EU elections more inclusive for Europeans with disabilities. The EDF paper includes a number of amendments which aim to ensure the right to vote and the right to stand as candidates for persons with disabilities, as well as improving the accessibility of the European Parliament elections.
The EDF has proposed a set of amendments to the draft report (published in July 2021), with the following objectives:
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Ensuring the right to vote and stand as candidate regardless of legal capacity status.
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Improving the accessibility of the EU elections for persons with disabilities by tackling three crucial elements at national level: the introduction of accessibility requirements, the implementation of specific solutions for persons with disabilities, and guaranteeing free choice of assistance to vote.
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Ensuring the right to vote for people living in closed residential settings.
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Guaranteeing accessibility in electronic and internet voting, and in electoral materials by using the existing EU harmonised accessibility legislation.
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Assuring the meaningful involvement of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations in their countries’ efforts to make elections more inclusive, and making sure that citizens with disabilities receive information about the measures put in place.
The position paper can be accessed at: https://www.edf-feph.org/edf-proposals-for-a-new-eu-electoral-law/
