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Extending the constitutional right to vote to people with disabilities
National Association of Societies for the Care of the Handicapped (NASCOH)
April 24, 2007

As the country waits with bated breath for a number of constitutional provisions expected to be pushed through by Parliament soon in preparation for next year’s March elections, attention should also focus on extending the voting franchise to people with disabilities, the majority of who fail to exercise their universally constituted right to vote due to a host of election practices which create barriers for voters with disabilities.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Zimbabwe is a signatory, guarantees the right for all citizens to have access on general terms of equality to the conduct of public affairs directly or indirectly through freely chosen representatives; to participate on general terms of equality in the conduct of elections; to register for, and vote in genuine periodic elections, referenda, and plebiscites which shall be by universal and equal suffrage; to vote by secret ballot and to stand for election; to be elected; and to exercise a mandate once elected.

Despite the existence of these provisions, however, voting access is an issue of major concern for people with disabilities, most of whom find it safer to stay at home and not vote rather than submit to the indignity of being assisted at a very turn to navigate a myriad of obstacles that are associated with inaccessible voting sites and voting facilities which are not disability-friendly. The numerous barriers which people with disabilities have to contend with before they can cast a vote include inaccessible parking space to cater for both the vehicle and the wheelchair, lack of accessibility and directional signs to the voting site, inaccessible routes, hazardous curbs, steps or stairs, inaccessible entrances and walkways, narrow doors, high thresholds, complicated door knobs and handles, signs and instructions that are not in disability friendly formats, protruding objects and overhead clearance, and the nature of voting booths and furniture and voting equipment which are inappropriate for use by people with disabilities.

People who are blind also face peculiar hurdles. Although the secret ballot, which is an established and prominent feature of almost every election law, is regarded as the cornerstone of democracy, this is a right that does not extend to people with disabilities, as, in Zimbabwe and all over the world, they do not have the opportunity to vote independently and privately. The practice of elections in almost all nations forces people who are blind to be dependent on other people, mostly election officials and not their trusted assistants, to cast their votes, thereby violating the principle of secrecy.

This is an obstacle that is surprisingly easy to overcome, however – some enterprising countries, including Ghana and Sierra Leone, and closer to home, South Africa, have been able to ensure that all citizens, including those who are blind, have equal access to the election process by developing a ballot guide which allows a voter who is blind to independently mark the ballot. This is mostly done by providing a folder, marked in Braille or in such lines and bumps as are easily distinguishable by people who are blind. The markings correspond to the boxes on the regular ballot paper, which will be inside the folder. Using this brailed folder as a guide, the voter can navigate up and down the folder and make his or her own selection. Some election management bodies use a cassette tape as a supplementary guide to the folder.

The majority of sites used for voting in the country do not have accessible parking space. An accessible voting site should have at least one accessible parking space with enough space for the vehicle and an additional space located either to the right or left of this space. This extra space serves as an access aisle and permits a person using a wheelchair, electric scooter, or other mobility device to get out of the van or car. Parking spaces and access aisles should be level and the pathway to the building or site should be smooth, hard and surfaced, preferably in concrete and asphalt and free of loose gravel in order to allow easy movement.

Should the polling place not have a permanent parking space for people with disabilities, the temporary parking space, located on an accessible route to the building, should be made available by marking off two adjacent spaces to serve as parking space and aisle. Appropriate removable signs designating the adjacent space and access aisle should be added. If the temporary parking space is to be located in an unpaved parking area, then the parking surface should be gravel that is well pack and free of loose stones. It would not be wise to use a parking area with a predominantly clay surface because the clay will be very slippery when it rains.

The symbol of accessibility should be used on all signs used to designate accessible parking spaces as reserved for people with disabilities. Sign posting is also important for voters with a disability. Signs placed along accessible routes directing the voter to the polling place are invaluable if the route is not obvious. If the accessible entrance is different from the entrance used by the other voters, it is necessary to have signs clearly directing the voter with disability. There should be at least one accessible route connecting the site entry points (sidewalks, parking spaces, subways and bus stops etc) with building entrances and all voting activity or support facilities. Curbs and steps are particularly hazardous and at times even impossible to navigate for people who experience difficulty in walking and for those who use wheelchairs. Where such curbs or even steps exist along a potentially accessible route, a curb ramp should be installed for the benefit of people with disabilities.

Most of the schools and halls used as polling stations in the country have steps at the entrance that is not suitable for use by people with disabilities. Temporary ramps, which can be easily fashioned out of plywood and treated lumber, with a rubber mat surface fully glued to the plywood for increased effectiveness, could be built to accommodate people with disabilities. If permanent ramps have to be installed, they have to meet the provisions of the applicable building standards. Particular attention should also be paid to walkways, which, if they have a slope with a high-rise or drop, can prevent people with disabilities form using them. Wheelchair footrests, for example, are necessarily mounted very close to the ground, and the slightest obstruction or change in slope, can stop a wheelchair abruptly.

Having come this far, the trials and tribulations of the voter with disability are not yet over; he or she has to contend with the doors at the polling facility, which in some cases are built so narrow that many people who use walkers, crutches, and wheelchairs can only pass through with great difficulty, and at times cannot pass through at all. Similarly, thresholds with abrupt changes that could pose problems for people with disabilities should be modified. This could be done by either replacing the existing threshold with a new one that is tapered to avoid abrupt changes in level or by installing a temporary ramped section next to the threshold.

People with disabilities of the upper limb have limited use of their hands, or no hands at all, cannot grasp and turn smooth round doorknobs. If there are doors along the accessible route, which need to be constantly opened and closed, the hardware on the locks might require modification in order for people with disabilities to be able to use them. This could entail installing an add-on level handle to the round doorknob, disconnecting closers on problem doors or considering the use of automatic doors.

Voting in the voting booths in Zimbabwe is done while standing. Many persons with disabilities, including those on crutches or in wheelchairs, are not able to stand in voting booths. The logical thing would be to sit at a table and fill out the paper ballot. It is necessary to provide the same degree of privacy to these voters, something which can be accomplished with a curtain, a screen, or dividers. Tables used by people in wheelchairs must have a clear knee space underneath and voting equipment should be usable by individuals with limited hand or arm function.

Above all, election officials need to be courteous and sensitive to the needs of people with disabilities. In this vein, the co-option of people with disabilities in the country’s electoral system and process would be a vital exercise which would set the stage for the inclusion of all people with disabilities in accessing their electoral rights- just like anybody else. Zimbabwe could do well to emulate the example of Ghana, which trained and recruited seventy-seven citizens with disabilities as fully credentialed election observers during the nation’s Presidential and Parliamentary elections of December 7, 2000. The exercise has gone a long way towards promoting the enfranchisement of people with disabilities in Ghana and holds great promise for Zimbabwe, which, being a proponent of ubuntu, the African spirit of humaneness, sharing and mutual dependence, is well placed to mitigate the marginalization and social exclusion of people with disabilities.

It is sobering to learn that some countries have gone further in the disability inclusion stakes, and have introduced brailed banknotes so that their citizens who are blind can be able to independently distinguish between the different banknotes. Still, others have introduced brailed overlays in lifts, so that people with visual impairments can also be able to press the buttons and go to whatever floor they want to go to. This is just an indication of what other nations can do to make their citizens with disabilities lead independent and dignified lives. If other countries can go this far, surely Zimbabwe can also make available the necessary social supports so that people with disabilities can have access to the universal and constitutional right to vote.

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