The European Parliament elections will take place in our country on May 24. Fact. All those listed on the last published electoral register have the right to cast their respective vote on the day. Fact.
The right of people with disabilities to vote in secret is enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Fact.
There are a number of people with disability who are eligible to vote on May 24 but cannot do so in private. Fact.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his/her country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.” The fulfilment of this fundamental right is perhaps largely taken for granted in the democratic climate we now live in. However, through my encounters with people during home visits that I have been making over the last few months, I have come to the realisation that Malta, as a country, is seriously and shamefully compromising this right of disabled people.
Disabled people, who cannot read or write due to visual impairment, intellectual impairment or due to limited mobility or ability to use their hands, are not allowed to vote in private just like anyone else. Instead of privately identifying the candidates of their choice through a clear written mark on the paper, in the privacy of a confined space at a voting booth, they have to declare their vote out in the open in front of a number of Electoral Commissioners manning a voting booth.
One hopes that there is little need and scope for debate regarding the need for action to rectify this serious infringement of the right of disabled people. Clearly, although this may have been theoretically acceptable to consecutive governments and electoral commissions over the years, it surely is not welcomed by those individuals who have to experience such an undignified ordeal when voting in every election.
The need for action is dire and urgent. A number of disabled people have shared with me that they start dreading this ordeal several weeks ahead of the election since it makes them feel inferior and vulnerable.
I see no valid reason why this shameful state of affairs should continue to persist
The reality of the smallness of our country, where everyone is practically known to someone within the village or town where they vote, makes the voting experience even worse. Although the Electoral Commissioners are bound by secrecy, disabled people have told me they dread this approach to voting. It is a daunting ordeal that no one should go through. It is an infringement of their right to vote in private.
It must be noted that an improvement to the system was introduced in 2007. The introduction of a template which can be used for people who can read in Braille was a welcome step in the right direction. This was heavily lobbied for by organisations of people with visual impairment in the past and it is encouraging and indeed commendable that their request was met. Rightfully so.
However, this particular (template) system does not effectively address the needs of all disabled people. Neither does it address the need of all visually impaired people, because not everyone knows how to read in Braille, and those with mobility problems in their hands or those with literacy challenges have little to gain from this system.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which Malta ratified in October 2012, states that the trusted person system can be used in this regard. This system enables a disabled person to be accompanied, in the voting booth, by an identified person of trust, who is selected by the disabled person. The person of trust addresses the limitations in the ability of the voter, thus enabling the voter to cast one’s vote secretly and in private as do all other voters, within a voting booth.
I believe that it is high time that this issue is resolved once and for all so that nobody is denied the right to vote in private. I see no valid reason why this shameful state of affairs should continue to persist.
Stefano Mallia is a Nationalist Party candidate for the European elections