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Description
As of 31 December 2022, voting right was revoked for 3,505 citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. The grounds for revocation of the right included the individual''s disability. At the very least, this directly violates the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The aim of the project is to amend the Law on Elections to the National Assembly to implement Article 29 of the CRPD and prevent discrimination on the grounds of disability. At the same time, it is necessary to carry out activities to change public opinion and the opinion of decision-makers and to empower people with intellectual and related disabilities in the area of exercising the right to vote, as amending the legislation is only the first step towards ensuring that all adult citizens of the Republic of Slovenia will be able to participate actively and successfully in the civic democratic processes.
By changing the mindset of the community through an intensive public advocacy campaign and development of accessible materials, the The right to vote is not a whim builds on the efforts of the applicant and partner to date and loudly draws attention to the fact that the responsibility for (mis)understanding the meaning, purpose and effects of elections should not be shifted from the state to the citizens. On the contrary, it is the responsibility of the State to ensure that its citizens have access to elections, i.e. that they have the necessary adaptations and means/technology to be able to exercise their right to vote and to make their own independent choices in elections like all other citizens.
Summary of project results
The goal of the project was to amend the Law on Elections to the National Assembly, ensuring the realization of Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and preventing discrimination based on disability or unequal treatment of persons with disabilities. At the time of project submission, 3,505 citizens had their active and passive voting rights revoked; one year later, this number had increased to 4,026 citizens. On January 30, 2024, the Slovenian National Assembly adopted the ZVDZ-E amendment, which can be rightly described as historic as it removed unequal treatment of persons with disabilities in exercising voting rights. Slovenia joined countries that do not restrict voting rights for persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities. With the adoption of the amendment, the voting process for the European elections was able to proceed smoothly. In the European elections held on June 9, 2024, all eligible adult citizens of Slovenia were able to participate.
Within the project were established and implemented educational programs for disabled people
Through educational programs for persons with disabilities, we provided better understanding of civil rights, the voting process, and the workings of parliament and government. With practical exercises and adapted approaches, we achieved active participation, learning through play and practical tasks, and developed self-confidence and self-advocacy skills among participants.