394 Results
Quotes
Quotes based on international documents, law, and treaties- "The security and control of registration and voting materials require special attention for external voting. Security is as essential externally as it is internally but there is the added challenge of securing sensitive materials during transport to and from several countries."
- "In most cases the duties and responsibilities of countries hosting foreign electoral activity on their soil are minimal, being confined to the role of facilitator rather than that of organizer or implementer. While host countries can assist in the external voting process, their role should not threaten the secrecy of the ballot or the neutrality or transparency of the programme. It is critical that external voting programmes be conducted without political or government influence or interference."
- "The Council of Europe has identified two types of cyberthreats to elections. First, threats to electoral democracy, namely “attacks against the confidentiality, integrity and availability of election computers and data”, compromising voter databases or registration systems; tampering with voting machines to manipulate results; interference with the function of systems on election day; and illegal access to computers to steal, modify, disseminate sensitive data. Second, threats to deliberative democracy, i.e. “information operations with violations of rules to ensure free, fair and clean elections” related to data protection, political finances, media coverage of electoral campaigns and broadcasting and political advertising."
- "Electronic technologies must function in a manner compatible with the principles enshrined in OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, and offer the same guarantees for transparency, accountability and public confidence as traditional voting methods."
- "For instance, participating States could consider facilitating the efforts of citizens belonging to national minorities to exercise their right to vote by introducing targeted measures to overcome specific difficulties, such as language barriers, including by providing readily accessible information and materials about voting in minority languages in areas inhabited by minorities."
- "While citizenship requirements can be applied in relation to parliamentary elections, participating States are encouraged to provide non-citizens belonging to national minorities with the possibility to vote and to stand as candidates in local elections."
- "There must be the possibility for meaningful verification of ballots cast electronically, such as that provided by a manual recount or end-to-end verifiability. (...) The verification mechanism must also fully guarantee the integrity of the results without compromising the secrecy of the vote. "
- "NVT systems are intended to fulfil the same functions as paper-based or mechanical systems and must, therefore, meet the same standards that apply to these systems."
- "While this requirement has broader ramifications, one of the aspects of the principle of equality is that no voter will be able to cast more votes than another, nor will citizens be prevented from participating in voting. This means that NVT systems must prevent any person from casting more votes than is established by law and must prevent any votes from being subtracted from the system. (...) At the same time, the principle of equality means that voting should be accessible to all voters, especially for voters living within the country."
- "If NVT are used in polling stations, they should not be the exclusive method of voting, as less computer-literate voters may have problems operating NVT systems. In such cases, citizens should be provided with the option to use paper ballots if they wish."
- "NVT systems should be designed in such a way that they are easily understandable for voters and relatively simple to use."
- "Voters should receive clear feedback and prompts while interacting with the technology. The voter should be made aware of when the electronic ballot is about to be cast and should then receive confirmation that the vote has, indeed, been cast and that the voting process is over. "
- "All candidates or parties contesting the election should be given an equal amount of space on the electronic ballot and it should be possible to see all of the available choices at the same time before the ballot is cast. Ballots that exceed the size of the screen, thus requiring the voter to scroll or change screens to see the entire range of choices, have the potential to confuse voters and to create bias in favour of contestants that are displayed first."
- "The system should be designed to allow voters with disabilities to cast their ballots without assistance, to the extent possible."
- "A general, automatic, indiscriminate restriction of the suffrage rights of all people convicted of a crime, regardless of the nature and degree of the crime, is an example of a restriction too broadly applied."
- "The Human Rights Council, (…) 7. Encourages all States to take appropriate measures to promote, with the participation of persons with disabilities, the design, development, production and distribution of information and communications technology and systems, including assistive and adaptive technologies, that are accessible to persons with disabilities."
- "The Committee reaffirms that a person’s status as a person with a disability or the existence of an impairment (including a physical or sensory impairment) must never be grounds for denying legal capacity or any of the rights provided for in article 12. All practices that in purpose or effect violate article 12 must be abolished in order to ensure that full legal capacity is restored to persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others."
- "States parties must refrain from denying persons with disabilities their legal capacity and must, rather, provide persons with disabilities access to the support necessary to enable them to make decisions that have legal effect."
- "In its concluding observations on States parties’ initial reports, in relation to article 12, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has repeatedly stated that States parties must “review the laws allowing for guardianship and trusteeship, and take action to develop laws and policies to replace regimes of substitute decision-making by supported decision-making, which respects the person’s autonomy, will and preferences”."
- "In order to fully realize the equal recognition of legal capacity in all aspects of life, it is important to recognize the legal capacity of persons with disabilities in public and political life (art. 29). This means that a person’s decision-making ability cannot be a justification for any exclusion of persons with disabilities from exercising their political rights, including the right to vote, the right to stand for election and the right to serve as a member of a jury."
- "The Committee further recommends that States parties guarantee the right of persons with disabilities to stand for election, to hold office effectively and to perform all public functions at all levels of government, with reasonable accommodation and support, where desired, in the exercise of their legal capacity."
- "States should ensure accessibility and provision of reasonable accommodation."
- "Generally putting in place a legal and regulatory framework that promotes the rights of different individuals and groups to access and use media and digital technologies to disseminate their own content as well as to receive relevant content produced by others."
- "Article 29 does not provide for any reasonable restriction or exception for any group of persons with disabilities. Therefore, an exclusion of the right to vote on the basis of a perceived or actual psychosocial or intellectual disability, including a restriction pursuant to an individualized assessment, constitutes discrimination on the basis of disability, within the meaning of article 2 of the Convention."
- "Accordingly, the Committee concludes that article XXIII, paragraph 6, of the Fundamental Law, which allows courts to deprive persons with intellectual disability of their right to vote and to be elected, is in breach of article 29 of the Convention, as is article 26, paragraph 2, of the Transitional Provisions of the Fundamental Law."
- "Accordingly, the Committee is of the view that, by depriving the authors of their right to vote, based on a perceived or actual intellectual disability, the State party has failed to comply with its obligations under article 29 of the Convention, read alone and in conjunction with article 12 of the Convention."
- "The Committee recalls that, under article 29 of the Convention, the State party is required to adapt its voting procedures, by ensuring that they are “appropriate, accessible and easy to understand and use”, and, where necessary, allowing persons with disabilities, upon their request, assistance in voting. It is by so doing that the State party will ensure that persons with intellectual disabilities cast a competent vote, on an equal basis with others, while guaranteeing voting secrecy."
- "In general: the State party is under an obligation to take measures to prevent similar violations in the future, including by: (…) (ii) Enacting laws that recognize, without any “capacity assessment”, the right to vote for all persons with disabilities, including those with more need of support, and that provide for adequate assistance and reasonable accommodation in order for persons with disabilities to be able to exercise their political rights."
- "People with disabilities should therefore be able to exercise their right to vote and participate in political and public life as elected representatives on an equal basis with other citizens."
- "Voting procedures and facilities should be accessible to people with disabilities so that they are able to exercise their democratic rights, and allow, where necessary, the provision of assistance in voting, with respect to the principle that voting must be individual."
- "The application of universal design principles and direct and/or indirect participation of the user in all design stages are effective means for improving the accessibility of polling stations and election procedures to cast one’s vote and for getting access to information on elections."
- "In all the measures taken to facilitate the participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life, the authorities and other competent bodies should take into account the fact that persons with disabilities represent various groups in society. They can have a wide variety of impairments, very different personal characteristics and be in varying socio-economic situations."
- "Persons with disabilities should be enabled, freely and without discrimination, particularly of a legal, environmental and/or financial nature, to: - vote and stand for election at all levels; - have access to communication, information, procedures and facilities related to their political rights; - have equal access to public duties; - meet, join or found associations; - meet, join or found political parties; - express their opinions; - be closely consulted and actively included in the development and implementation of legislation and policies, and in other decision-making processes concerning issues that affect them."
- "Participatory democracy for persons with disabilities involves accessibility of premises, services and goods, procedures, rules, information and communications. Failure to guarantee accessibility by means of universal design and reasonable accommodations would infringe the rights and the dignity of persons with disabilities and the principles of non-discrimination and equal opportunities. "
- "The built environment is a challenge to persons with disabilities when they wish to participate in public affairs and when they defend their rights, for example in the judicial sphere (see Article 13 of the UNCRPD). Member states should avoid and prevent the creation of barriers in access to the built environment."
- "Legislative and other appropriate measures should be adopted in order to guarantee the removal, within a reasonable time, of existing physical obstacles hampering access to places where public affairs such as central and local administrative activities and judicial proceedings are conducted. The same recommendation applies to political activities such as campaigns and elections; it is recommended to organise all public meetings and events in accessible premises."
- "To enable persons with disabilities to participate fully in political and public life, member states should take appropriate measures to guarantee them effective non-discriminatory access to and supply of relevant goods and services, including transportation and other indoor and outdoor facilities, which are open or provided to the general public, both in urban and rural areas. Measures to be taken by member states or providers of goods and services should not impose a disproportionate burden, or require fundamental alteration of goods and services in question or require the provision of alternatives thereto. "
- "Member states should take steps to ensure that information on public affairs and political activities (including electoral programmes) are available in various forms (including sign language, Braille, audio, electronic and easy-to-read and understand versions)."
- "Universal design principles should be used to design, develop, implement and promote new technologies, including assistive technologies and equipment, which could facilitate the participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life. These technologies and equipment should be accessible and affordable to all those who need them. "
- "Accessible ballot papers and facilities should be available at the time of voting. Information about accessibility of voting procedures, ballots and facilities, through communications in easy-to-read and to understand formats, should be largely disseminated in advance, in order to encourage citizens to participate in political and public life."
- "All persons with disabilities, whether they have physical, sensory, or intellectual impairments, mental health problems or chronic illnesses, have the right to vote on the same basis as other citizens, and should not be deprived of this right by any law limiting their legal capacity, by any judicial or other decision or by any other measure based on their disability, cognitive functioning or perceived capacity. All persons with disabilities are also entitled to stand for office on an equal basis with others and should not be deprived of this right by any law restricting their legal capacity, by any judicial or other decision based on their disability, cognitive functioning or perceived capacity, or by any other means."
- "Consequently, member states should ensure that polling stations and ballot papers are fully accessible and that measures are for instance taken to enable persons with disabilities to vote without assistance (by providing facilities in polling stations for instant access to information, for example pocket instruments or other tactile devices to be placed on the ballot papers to help blind or partially-sighted people)."
- "Where persons with disabilities need assistance in order to vote or express their opinion, member states should ensure that they are allowed to be accompanied by a person of their choice, for example in the voting booth when casting their vote. “Assistance” here means helping the person with disabilities to express his or her decision, not taking the decision in his or her place."
- "Alternative ways of voting should only be used in cases where it is not possible, or it is extremely difficult, for persons with disabilities to vote in polling stations, like everyone else. General reliance on voting assistance and alternative voting as a way to ensure the political participation of persons with disabilities would not be consistent with the general obligations undertaken by States parties under articles 4 and 29 of the Convention. "