Election: Strong and Disabled Voters Will be Heard!

It’s been a tough time for many under the Tories but disabled people have been among the hardest hit and almost 90% are intending to vote this election. With the June 8 not far away the Conservatives can’t afford to keep neglecting the 13 million disabled people in Britain.

The Election Projection

Disabled charity Scope responded to Theresa May’s election announcement by warning that Britain’s disabled people represent “a hugely significant number of votes – and 89% have said they will vote at the next election”.

That’s an extraordinary number and, if the real turnout is anywhere near that it would be one of the highest demographic turnouts in the UK. In 2015 the biggest turnout at 79% was for men over the age of 55.

With so many disabled voters engaged and keen to take their opinions to the polling booths you’d think the government would make it easy for them. However one in four disabled people found it difficult to vote at the last election due to conditions at their polling stations.

Polling Station Slip-ups

Problems for disabled voters included shortages of trained staff, large-print ballot papers, accessible booths and ballot boxes, level access and disabled parking spaces

All of those accommodations are mandatory under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. There should be ramps or similar access aids, tactile voting devices and at least one large-print version of the ballot paper for the visually impaired. There should also be low-level voting booths that allow for ease and privacy for disabled voters, who are allowed to ask for assistance from the Presiding Officer to help them mark the paper.

It’s important for disabled people to know that if they cannot enter the polling station they are allowed to have the ballot paper brought to them.

Of course there are alternatives to voting in person but going to the polls is both a right and a social activity. Proxy or postal votes further exclude disabled people from communities and can be almost as difficult for disabled people to use as the stations – one in six disabled people found it difficult to vote by post in 2015. Disabled people should have as many options as able-bodied people – we all deserve a choice.

The Wider Picture

This lack of care should come as no surprise given the current government’s harsh approach to disabled people. May’s advisor George Freeman has said that benefits should only go to “really disabled people” and not people “who are taking pills at home, who suffer from anxiety”. His opinion seems to be shared by many in the party that introduced the Work Capability Assessment, which has cut benefits to many disabled people.

These WCA tests have been lambasted for their questionnaire focused on home-based abilities rather than work ones – a totally separate set of skills – while face-to-face interviews have been conducted by unqualified staff.

Research from leading British universities suggests the WCA tests have been linked to a 5% rise in suicides, and since its introduction 2,380 people have died within two weeks of being declared fit for work. The WCA is just one of many injustices the disabled community faces.

The Strong and Disabled Voters

With Conservatives determined to see through the promised benefit cuts they are unlikely to appeal to the 70% of disabled people who believe disability benefits should be protected. If the charity Scope is right about how much the Tory cuts have motivated the disabled to get out and vote on June 8, May’s hope for a massive win might well be in jeopardy. It’s high time MPs learn that their callous cuts can have serious consequences in support.

If you or someone you know is disabled and needs assistance for the vote on June 8 please find your nearest polling station and Electoral Office here and contact them in advance about your needs. Don’t let someone else’s mistakes take away your right to vote.

 

by Jo Davey

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