When voting in elections, there are cases where it is difficult to vote due to insufficient consideration, so an NPO corporation made up of organizations of persons with disabilities submitted a request to the government for improvement.

The request form is based on about 200 cases submitted by people with disabilities nationwide.



According to this, even if early voting starts, it may not be possible to receive information in Braille or voice that introduces the candidate's policies, so we are seeking improvement and it is easy for people with intellectual disabilities to understand. We are requesting that you issue an election bulletin written in an easy-to-understand manner.



We also want to create an environment where it is easy to vote, such as by promoting support for moving to polling stations and making polling stations barrier-free.



Then, expand the target audience for "postal voting" for people who have difficulty in going to the polling place due to obstacles, etc., or if you cannot fill out the ballot due to obstacles, fill in the polling place staff. I would like you to widely publicize that there is a system of "proxy voting" to receive.

Katsunori Fujii, the representative of the Japan Council for Persons with Disabilities who made the request, said, "Some people have given up because they cannot vote due to various reasons. There are many things that can be dealt with under the current law, so the important right to vote is more. I would like the Election Commissions of each country and region to think about how to exercise it. "

Voting walls faced by people with disabilities

Kuniko Uchida (71), who lives in Arakawa-ku, Tokyo, lost her eyesight due to glaucoma when she was in her twenties.


She says she feels the wall in various situations as she heads for the vote.

[To the polling place]

Usually, when I go out for shopping, I use the system of the local government to have a guide helper accompany me.



Since there is an upper limit to the usage, I often go to vote alone, but after arriving at the polling place elementary school, I do not know how to get to the gymnasium where the ballot box is located.



Mr. Uchida says, "Because it is an unfamiliar place, I can finally reach it while hitting a telephone pole or something. I have no choice but to talk to the person who came and ask for help to take me to the person in charge." ..

[Walls in voting ...]

In the actual voting, Mr. Uchida uses a system that allows him to vote in Braille.



However, when I typed characters in Braille, the table was unstable and I couldn't type well because of the force.



Also, when I voted early, I didn't have a list of candidates that I could read in Braille.



I asked the person in charge to read out the candidate's name, but I was worried that I might know where to vote.

Mr. Uchida said, "I typed Braille in the middle of reading so that I wouldn't forget my name, but I was worried when I knew who I voted for. I want people with disabilities to be more considerate. That's it. "