How can autistic people and people with learning disabilities be empowered to vote?
Whilst people with learning disabilities and autistic people can participate in elections and politics, there are many barriers that they face when they try to accomplish this. The My Vote, My Voice campaign was established to remove these barriers so that everyone can participate in UK politics.
According to the Electoral Commission, some of the barriers facing people with learning disabilities and autistic people include not having accessible information about political parties or the process of casting their vote, the polling station building not being accessible, lack of information about being accompanied by a carer and lack of polling station staff training, amongst others. With this array of barriers in place, it is not surprising to hear that people with a learning disability and autistic people struggle to find a place for themselves in politics.
A mother and carer to a young lady with learning disabilities and autism in Leicestershire shared her experience of going to the polling station during the local elections held across the UK on 2nd May 2024. In a local press article, Tess Rushin discusses how she felt it was important for her daughter to feel informed and comfortable when voting, and most importantly that her vote mattered.
To help her daughter, Ms Rushin gave her daughter information about the candidates in terms she would understand and began talking about the process months before voting day. When at the polling station they were offered a wider booth separate to the main queue which meant they didn’t feel rushed. However, whilst this pair had a great experience casting their votes, this experience doesn’t seem to be shared with many other people with learning disabilities or autistic people.
In 2014, Mencap carried out a survey amongst UK voters with learning disabilities. 17% of respondents said they were turned away from their local polling station due to their disability, whilst 60% of respondents said that simply registering to vote was too hard1.
In a more recent survey in 2021 carried out by United Response, out of the 2,100 respondents 36 said they were turned away from the polling station due to their disability. These two sets of figures suggest that the current system lacks adequate support to empower all people with learning disabilities and autistic people to cast their vote.
Despite Government efforts to help include disabled voters, such as the points on voting in the Equality Act 2010 and the Elections Act 2022, people with a learning disability and autistic people are still having difficulties finding information about candidates in accessible formats, registering to vote and even casting their vote. The My Vote, My Voice campaign wants this to all change, enabling people with learning disabilities and autistic people to feel empowered to vote.
My Vote, My Voice has shared nine ideas to make getting involved in UK politics easier for people with learning disabilities and autistic people. From automatically enrolling everyone of voting age on the electoral register to providing easy-read versions of political manifestos, the campaign stresses the importance of being an informed voter ahead of the 2024 general election and in the future. It has also suggested ways in which the process can be changed to erase the barriers stopping or holding back people with learning disabilities and autistic people from casting their votes.
- Automatic voter registration.
- Better data collection.
- Disability awareness training.
- Easy Read materials and training.
- Encouraging democratic participation.
- Flexible voting options.
- Supporting disabled election candidates.
- Support for registering to vote.
- Voter ID.
References
1Brown, Jennifer (2023) Disabled people: political participation. London: House of Commons Library. Available at: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9718/CBP-9718.pdf
To empower anyone to vote, you must first identify the barriers that could be preventing them. United Response has been advocating for accessible voting since 2014 and in that time, people with lived experience have promoted a shared call for better access to stop people being excluded, not just from casting their vote but politics generally. Problems with physical access to polling stations, impact of voter ID and lack of information in accessible formats highlight systematic issues preventing people with disabilities exercising their democratic right to vote. Access to information is key and we do not want to see history repeat itself, where easy read manifestos have been overlooked and published too late. This is why the My Vote, My Voice campaign is calling for all the political parties to commit to publishing an easy read version of their party manifestos. To address the issue of voter turnout, we must also acknowledge that lack of representation is part of the issue. According to the Disability Policy Foundation, just over 16% of elected councillors identify as disabled and less than 2% of current MPs are open about their disabilities. The campaign is a non-partisan initiative led by United Response, Dimensions and Mencap. It has the support of over 100 organisations, 20 councils and over 15 parliamentarians who have signed the Charter to make accessible voting a reality. For any families or providers of care who want to find out more, the My Vote, My Voice campaign website has easy read resources on useful topics like voter ID and political parties and offers practical support through voter workshops. Let’s not assume people are not interested or capable of getting involved in politics – after all anyone who draws on social care is deeply impacted by political decisions. Ask, engage and share easy read resources. X: @ali__gunn Email: [email protected] Ali Gunn, Head of Public Affairs and Policy, United ResponseÂ
I’ve worked in politics for a long time now and I would say it is so important to vote because you have a say on things that matter. I think that disabled people and people with learning disabilities like me deserve to be able to vote with dignity. I also think that disabled people in general are under-represented in Parliament. Having voted myself for the last 20 years, the idea that every adult should be able to exercise their basic democratic right seems a very simple one. However, for many people with learning disabilities and autism, it is not always that easy. That is why I have been visiting different organisations, speaking with the Electoral commission and even handing in a petition to Downing Street, to promote the voices of autistic people and people with learning disabilities and explain how voting can be made more accessible. I once considered standing for election myself, at a local level, but the paperwork involved was far too hard. There was so much of it and there was also no way for me to ask for help to make it more accessible. This lack of accessibility highlights the problem with the current system. I’ve met people who have felt left out of politics, who didn’t know they could vote. MPs need to hold accessible hustings and provide easy read information, including party manifestos, as standard. Ultimately, we need more autistic people and people with learning disabilities to be supported to stand for Parliament, not only so we can have a say in the policies that affect us, but also so we can see ourselves being represented. As I remind myself of the importance of exercising my right to vote, I want to take this opportunity to remind others that their voices are powerful, and support is in place to help them be heard. X: @MarkBrookes66 Email: [email protected] Dr Mark Brookes MBE, Advocacy Lead, Dimensions
What barriers have you experienced when trying to cast your vote? How do you think they can be overcome? Leave a comment on this article or join the conversation to share your thoughts.