Unified local elections are about to begin, but do you know that some people have difficulty going to the polling stations and casting their votes?

I can't see I can't hear I can't walk I can't write I

can't talk about the
election too hard
I can't
go to the polling place in the first place...

In response to such voices, a questionnaire survey conducted by NHK highlighted the current situation where it cannot be said that an environment where it is easy for anyone to vote is not sufficiently developed.

300 voices received

Approximately 300 voices were received on NHK's special website "Election for All" from people affected and their families about the difficulties in voting. It is part of it.

"There are people who want to vote for their families but can't, and they are home care patients in need of long-term care 4 who live in apartment complexes without elevators. You can't go to the polls unless you ask for a nursing taxi or get help from someone you know."

"I am a patient with an intractable disease who has difficulty applying strength to my arms and legs, and I have difficulty writing at an unstable desk such as a polling table."

"I am a deaf person who can hardly hear, and if the election designates this is this and that is here, I can't understand the words and sometimes make mistakes. There are people who correct me and guide me, but when there are people behind me or the eyes of the crowd, I feel ashamed and I feel depressed."

In response to these voices, NHK conducted a questionnaire survey in January this year targeting the secretariat of the Election Management Commission in all municipalities nationwide. We asked how we have responded to the vote of people with disabilities and received responses from 1,95 secretariats, or 1648% of the total.

Election for everyone

Here is a summary of the results of questionnaires to election committees nationwide, opinions received, and useful information for those involved.

18% of respondents answered "Creation of manuals for people with disabilities"

As a result, 18% have already prepared a manual for dealing with people with disabilities, 4% have specific plans to create one in the future, and 78% have no plans.

"Holding briefings and training" is 30%

In addition, 30% of respondents said they had already held briefings or training on how to deal with people with disabilities, 3% had specific plans to do so in the future, and 66% had no plans to do so.

"Braille or voice code on numbered admission tickets" is 12%

On top of that, 12% of respondents said they had already done so, 1% said they had no plans to do so, and 86% had no plans to do so, while <>% said they had no plans to do so.

"Prepare a communication board" is 23%

In addition, 23% of respondents said they had already prepared a "communication board" at a polling place where people with hearing impairments indicated what kind of support they needed by pointing their fingers at letters and illustrations, 4% said they had specific plans to do so in the future, and 73% had no plans to do so.

Election for Everyone Communication Board

We have created a "communication board" so that people with disabilities can use it when they have trouble voting. You can download it here.

No matter what kind of circumstances or obstacles there are

Hayato Kojima, an election management advisor who has been involved in local government elections for more than 40 years, said, "Until now, many polling places have been based on people without disabilities. However, the exercise of the right to vote is a right recognized by everyone, and it is necessary to create a universal environment in which people who are said to be vulnerable voters can easily vote because they have the right to exercise their vote regardless of their circumstances or obstacles. We must understand and respond not only to people with disabilities, but also to those who have difficulty voting in an aging society."

Listening to the voices of the parties involved

Katsunori Fujii, president of the Council of Persons with Disabilities in Japan, commented on the survey results, saying, "I think this is a manifestation of the fact that the election committee and the government have created a system on the premise that people with disabilities have rarely voted in the past. The issue of people with disabilities was always premised on giving up, but I felt that suffrage was particularly left behind amid the development of various supports. I believe that an increase in the number of votes by people with disabilities will trigger the advancement of policies for people with disabilities both locally and nationally. In order to improve the voting environment in the future, I hope that you will listen to the voices of the people concerned."

Regarding the voting environment for people with disabilities, the Council of Persons with Disabilities, an NPO formed by organizations of people with disabilities Japan, submitted a request to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications in May last year calling for an improvement in the voting environment.
The results of this survey also highlight the current situation where support at polling places and other places is insufficient, and how to create an environment where everyone can easily vote is an issue even in unified local elections.