Summary
Voter education should facilitate the participation of illiterate voters. To this end, specific methods, such as the use of photographs and symbols, should be adopted.
Election Parts
Criteria
- All citizens received voter education regardless of their race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation or gender identity, property, birth, or other status
- Voter education materials facilitated voting by illiterate voters
Quotes
- Freedom of expression, assembly and association are essential conditions for the effective exercise of the right to vote and must be fully protected. Positive measures should be taken to overcome specific difficulties, such as illiteracy, language barriers, poverty or impediments to freedom of movement which prevent persons entitled to vote from exercising their rights effectively. Information and materials about voting should be available in minority languages. Specific methods, such as photographs and symbols, should be adopted to ensure that illiterate voters have adequate information on which to base their choice. States parties should indicate in their reports the manner in which the difficulties highlighted in this paragraph are dealt with.
- States should foster citizen participation in the electoral process by] safeguarding the right to vote of vulnerable groups (people with disabilities, people who are illiterate, etc.) by adapting polling stations and voting material to their needs.
- Voter education materials should be multimedia and multilingual, and culturally appropriate for various social groups.
- Particular note should be taken of the way in which illiterate people are informed about election procedures.