Home > 1.3.2.2 Voting procedures > UKRAINE - Urgent Joint Opinion on the Draft Law 3612 on Democracy Through All-Ukraine Referendum
 
 
 
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Paragraph 73
 

Articles 56.2 of the Draft law provides that voters who are recorded in the voter list as having permanent physical disability are by default registered to vote at their home by way of mobile voting. This is contrary to the principle of equality as persons with disabilities should be given the same opportunity as other voters to vote in person at a polling station without having to submit a special request to do so. A good practice is to assist voters with disabilities to reach polling stations and cast their ballots in the same way as other voters and in a dignified manner that preserves the secrecy of the ballot and prevents undue influence, with the use of mobile voting as an available option for the voter to choose. Accessibility for persons with disabilities is addressed in greater detail in the Electoral Code than in the draft. In this respect, it is recommended that the Draft law be harmonised with the Electoral Code to further strengthen the mechanisms of accessibility of referendums for persons with disabilities, including the possibility for voters with disabilities to choose their voting methods.