The Right to Vote is not a Whim: Movement for Ending the Disenfranchisement of People with Disabilities

According to the Ministry of the Interior, 2,035 Slovene citizens were not allowed to vote at the 2019 European election, which was among other based on disabilities. In fact, the number of disenfranchisements is on the rise. During the parliamentary election in 2022, there were more 3,016 disenfranchised citizens. On 13 January 2023, this number amounted to 3,505 people.

The right to vote is one of the fundamental rights in our country. People with intellectual disabilities are not allowed to vote due to prejudice about their abilities.

We believe that Article 7 of the Act on Elections to the National Assembly (ZVDZ) contradicts the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia. A consistent use of Article 43 of the Constitution and Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities should result in every adult Slovenian citizen should have the right to vote and be voted for.

We will achieve this. Our end goal is to amend the ZVDZ for we believe that all people should have the right to full participation in political and public life, which includes people with disabilities.

First stage: At Trg republike in Ljubljana, i.e. in front of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, a rally was held at the beginning of May. There, we loudly proclaimed that it is inadmissible for a country which ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008 to hold procedures in which judges or doctors evaluate a person's ability to vote and either give them a green light to do so or not!

Second stage: People with intellectual disabilities require assistance to be successfully included in political and public life. We will demonstrate to the state what kind of approach it should take – there is a big difference between helping a person and taking away their rights!

Partnering up on the project entitled The Right to Vote is not a Whim: Movement for Ending the Disenfranchisement of People with Disabilities are three non-governmental organizations, namely the Sonček Association, the RISA Institute, and the Association of Inclusive Culture.