Because it's "obvious" February 22nd 19:06
If you have a serious disability and are living in a hospital, you cannot vote in elections.
Women thought so.
So are hospital staff.
That's why I gave up.
But women voted for the first time in almost 20 years.
Because she is "ordinary".
(Miyazaki Broadcasting Station Reporter Ayako Tamaki)
Even if you can't do it, it can't be helped...
“After I entered this ward, I thought I would never be able to vote,” says
Ms. Jitsumiko Nishimata (61), who slowly speaks one word at a time because of her disability.
Mr. Nishimata lives in the ward of "Aisenkai Nichinan Hospital" in Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture.
About 120 people with severe physical and intellectual disabilities live in this ward with assistance.
Mr. Nishimata also has cerebral palsy and an intellectual disability.
She needs help with all aspects of life, including eating.
Among the residents, there are many who find it difficult to express their intentions well.
In such an environment, it would be difficult to go to the polls on your own.
Mr. Nishimata thought so.
I used to vote out of the blue
But Mr. Nishimata really didn't want to think that way.
Mr. Nishimata used to live in his home in Miyazaki City with the help of his parents.
Ever since I was little, I watched my parents vote every election.
After turning 20, with the help of my family, I almost never missed a vote myself.
About 15 years ago, I entered this ward because my parents were getting old and it became difficult for me to take care of them.
Since then, I have had to give up on many things.
My mother's home cooking that I loved every day.
Air travel with assistance.
And so is voting in elections.
There were times when I thought, "I wonder if I can't vote."
But I didn't say it.
You can vote absentee at the hospital!
?
In fact, at this hospital, there was an environment where you could vote in the hospital every time you had an election.
It was designated as a designated facility for absentee voting by the prefecture.
Absentee ballot designated facilities
are facilities that allow absentee ballots for patients and elderly people who enter hospitals and facilities and cannot go to polling stations.
The Election Commission determines whether the facilities are of a certain size as stipulated by laws and regulations, has a voting environment that protects voting secrecy, and has a system in place to maintain political neutrality.
In Miyazaki Prefecture, a total of 301 facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes, have been designated.
(as of January 2023)
However, the hospital's intended use was for patients in general wards who were hospitalized due to illness.
The voting office was also set up in a separate building from the ward where Mr. Nishimata lives.
I was the closest to you, and I thought I understood you...
"I'm sure there was a closed part," said
Mototoshi Nishijima, the administrative director of the hospital.
Now, with the aim of becoming a hospital that is open to the community, we are renovating the building with a glass-enclosed doorway to make it more open, and creating a place for residents to interact with each other.
In addition, we have established a wireless LAN in the ward to create an environment where residents can easily obtain information.
However, the residents with severe disabilities to help on a daily basis.
How many people can choose who they think they are from among multiple candidates?
Many of the people who entered the facility had difficulty making self-determination and expressing their intentions, and they were hesitant about "voting."
Difficult, impossible...
Even the staff who understand the disabilities of each resident could not avoid thinking that way.
Furthermore, "voting" or "not voting" is also an important decision.
Also, I was worried about how the staff should be involved.
Aisenkai Nichinan Hospital Administrative Manager Mototoshi Nishijima
“When it comes to voting, I was at a loss as to what to do, and I couldn’t take the first step. No matter how much you are exercising your precious right to vote, if you force it, it could lead to a violation of that right. I also felt that I had to be careful.”
I want to vote too!
Thoughts after 10 years
It was a word from Mr. Nishimata that blew away such awareness on the hospital side.
Just before the House of Councilors election in July last year.
Mr. Nishimata confided in the hospital staff that he wanted to vote.
It all started when Ms. Nishimata learned from a conversation with staff that she could vote in the general ward.
I want to cast one vote as before.
Mr. Nishijima, the head of the administrative office, said that he was deeply moved when he heard Mr. Nishimata's story from a staff member.
Administrative Director Mototoshi Nishijima
"I didn't know that Mr. Nishimata wanted to vote and that he was interested in society and politics. I was taken aback by thinking that I might have ruined various possibilities.”
what can i do
hospital changed
We themselves may have narrowed down what the residents could do.
The hospital moved quickly.
However, it is the first time that a resident with a severe disability has voted.
While consulting with the election management committee, we explored the possibility of realizing voting.
Mr. Nishimata needs help writing his name on the ballot because he has a handicap.
So the hospital made proxy voting possible.
Proxy voting
is a system in which an assistant designated by the administrator of the polling station fills in the ballot on behalf of the person who is unable to fill in the ballot paper due to illness or disability.
How to vote by proxy
Proxy voting is also explained on the site "Everyone's Election," which provides information on elections that is useful for people with disabilities who could not or had difficulty going to vote, and for people who support people with disabilities.
With only a short time to go before the vote, the hospital was ready and it was election day.
Mr. Nishimata left the ward where he usually lives and went to the general ward in a wheelchair.
A nurse who usually assists Mr. Nishimata was by his side.
With the help of a nurse, I wrote the names of the candidates in pencil on the ballot papers I received.
The candidates to vote for were decided by themselves after collecting information on television and radio.
Mr. Nishimata savored the "ordinary" of casting one vote as a voter for the first time in about 20 years.
Ms. Michiko Nishimata
: “I voted for someone who worked hard. I felt like I was able to vote.
Other residents who vote
5 more months after this.
In the Miyazaki gubernatorial election held in December last year, another male resident also voted with Mr. Nishimata.
This is Tsuyoshi Nobe (57), who entered the ward 17 years ago.
This was the first vote in nearly 25 years.
Due to the protracted corona sickness, hospital visitation restrictions continue, and the days when I can't see my family and friends.
Mr. Nobe cast one vote with an emphasis on measures against the new corona virus.
Mr. Tsuyoshi Nobe
: "We can't live without help, so I thought it wouldn't matter if the days when we couldn't go out because of the corona crisis continued. But to be honest, I didn't think it would last this long. There weren't many events, so everyone was putting up with it.
we may have been special
"I think that Mr. Nishimata pushed the switch of our recognition," says
Mr. Nishijima, the administrative director of the hospital.
Ms. Nishijima
: “I thought it would be difficult for residents with severe disabilities to vote. After hearing this, I realized that we should also support them with that kind of awareness.In fact, I think that many residents with severe disabilities find it difficult to vote, but they know their important rights. I don't want to give up on receiving and exercising."
Expert “It is important to think about what others can do”
How should we think about the political participation of persons with disabilities and what should we do?
We asked Professor Tadashi Yamamoto of the Faculty of Law, Ritsumeikan University.
About the hospital's response this time
(Professor Tadashi Yamamoto)
I think it is significant that the hospital staff have once again recognized that people with disabilities are also subjects of their rights and have taken further action.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Japan ratified in 2014 and prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities, includes an item called "participation in political and public activities."
What is written here is not that we should do something special for people with disabilities, but that we should guarantee their rights equally.
I believe that this hospital stands at the starting point of such rights protection.
I look forward to seeing further progress in the future.
About the hospital's perception that ``it may be difficult for people with severe physical and mental disabilities to vote''
In Japan as a whole, the current situation is that people with disabilities do not understand the obvious fact that they are “subjects of rights”.
Both the government and people involved in facilities must deepen their understanding of the rights of persons with disabilities.
Instead of giving up because you have a disability, it is important to think about what the people around you can do and to treat each person with respect.
Some people find it difficult to express themselves, what should I do?
I think it's naturally difficult to vote without doing anything.
Even if you try to confirm your intention, the caregiver cannot be confident that the person is really capable of choosing a candidate, so it is unavoidable to worry about inducing voting.
In other prefectures, facilities for people with intellectual disabilities held study sessions to explain the Japanese Constitution in an easy-to-understand manner, and as a result, many residents went to vote.
Also, even if you have a serious disability that makes it difficult to express your intentions in words, if you can express your intentions in some way, you can choose which political party or candidate you prefer. must.
For example, for the upcoming unified local elections, I think it will be possible to acquire the ability to select candidates by providing an opportunity to think about issues within the prefecture in an easy-to-understand manner.
I think it is important to have such opportunities on a daily basis.
do an interview
Actually, there was something that surprised me during this interview.
Mr. Nishimata said to me, "I was surprised to hear that I was being interviewed, even though voting was something that was taken for granted."
The right to vote is a right that everyone over the age of 18 has, but I myself may have been "special" in some way.
That's why I was a little confused by Mr. Nishimata's words.
Of course, I think there are various issues, such as how people who can't express their intentions should vote.
However, I once again thought that I would like to look at things from the starting point of "How can I do it?" instead of "I can't do it."
Miyazaki Broadcasting Station Reporter
Ayako Tamaki
Joined the station in 2019
After working as a police and judicial reporter, she currently works at the Nobeoka branch, focusing on the northern region of the prefecture.
She also continues to cover disability welfare.