Imagine registering to vote in the upcoming election, only to be told by a local government official not to go to the polling place because you would "spoil the election." Betty, a woman I met in northern Uganda, was told just that. Why? Because she is blind.
Or put yourself in the shoes of Alajos Kiss, a Hungarian who was put under partial guardianship at age 51 as a result of mental health problems. Kiss did not realize, however, that accepting guardianship meant losing his right to vote.
The right to political participation is both fundamental to democracy and a fundamental human right. Yet people with disabilities are routinely denied the chance to exercise this right. In many countries, people in wheelchairs or who are blind cannot vote because they cannot reach the polling place or cast a secret ballot. In some countries, people with disabilities who have guardians assigned by the court are automatically deleted from voter registries.
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