Inclusive Voting

Inclusive Voting cover imageInclusive Voting is a report exploring barriers in elections for voters with vision impairments and disabilities. In particular, it focuses on barriers to voter registration, information on party policies, and the act of voting.

The report builds upon a policy roundtable held at London City Hall on 26 May 2017 with several disability organisations, as well as existing research, and new data.

Download and read the report here.
Listen to the audio version here.
Read the large print version here.
Download the text-only version here.

Publication date: 5 June 2017.

The report sets out 7 recommendations, including:

  • The Government should initiate pilots of online voting as a matter of priority in the new Parliament, with a view to an online voting option being in place for the next UK General Election.
  • The Equality and Human Rights Commission should explore whether or not the existing voting system is in breach of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The report contains forewords from Liberal Democrat President, Baroness Sal Brinton, and former Deputy Mayor of London, Nicky Gavron AM.

Baroness Sal Brinton said:

“It is vital that we approach our democracy as we approach our devices. They should both be accessible, user-friendly, and kept up-to-date with the times in which we live. A cornerstone of our electoral system is that voters should be able to vote independently and in secret. This simply is not the case for many voters with vision impairments and disabilities.”

Nicky Gavron AM said:

“Any one of us can obtain a disability at any point in our lives, so it is critical that we speak up and speak out about deficiencies in our democracy that make it difficult for us to participate. The rise in digital technology has brought wonders for people with vision impairments and disabilities. It has broken down barriers to everyday tasks and enabled greater independence. It is only right that we now look at how best we can harness digital technology to break down barriers in our democracy.”