Canada’s federal electoral process is not inclusive to voters with disabilities.
For Canadian citizens, participation in the federal election is a democratic right—a privilege many of us take for granted. We can arrive at our local polling stations and cast a ballot without a second thought, but it’s a different, harsher reality for individuals with disabilities.
Research published by Elections Canada in 2019 shows electors with disabilities are five times less likely to vote in federal elections than able-bodied electors. We can’t afford for numbers to drop even more.
Gathered from surveys on voter cards, disabled voters expressed a general dissatisfaction with democracy and past voting experiences. Not all barriers faced are physical, for less visible factors like a lack of information about the voting process and how to get ed contribute to the overall challenge of voting.
The silent struggles faced by those with disabilities aren’t considered in society’s infrastructure, resulting in uninviting and unaccommodating spaces. When systems and institutions are ableist by default, they normalize the devaluation of disabled communities, their needs, and their voices.
In recent years, polling booths have seen game-changing improvements and regulatory changes: electors are allowed to bring devices to aid in facilitating communication, whether for language or disability purposes; they can bring personal pencils or markers, and service animals are now permitted to accompany their owners.
While these additions seem like sound solutions to existing barriers, they have one undesirable factor in common: the onus is still on voters, rather than institutions, to facilitate accessibility.
Opening alternative methods of voting, like homebound or online voting, would certainly be more convenient for everybody. But even these solutions come with their own problems of security and vulnerability. Not to mention, they act as a blanket solution for access, excusing Canada from exerting active efforts to make structures more inclusive.
It’s our responsibility to build inclusive spaces that grant genuine accessibility, instead of relying on individuals with disabilities to provide for themselves or adapt to the barriers like they’ve been doing for so long.
How Canada goes about ing disabled people will impact the degree to which their voices are heard in important elections like these. The last thing we want is to discourage even more people from voting.
Everybody deserves a chance to experience ease, dignity, and comfort when exercising their vote. Afterall, if voting is considered a civil duty, it shouldn’t be such an insurmountable task.
—Journal Editorial Board
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