Disabled Persons' Organizations File Lawsuit Against the State for 'Infringement of Access Rights to Public Elections'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] A discrimination relief lawsuit has been filed against the state, demanding the provision of election materials in an easy-to-understand format, claiming that the access rights of persons with disabilities to public elections are being infringed.

The Solidarity for Disability Discrimination Prevention and others held a press conference in front of the Seoul Central District Court on the 18th, stating, "Developmentally disabled individuals who have difficulty understanding language are not provided with the necessary information for voting, limiting their equal exercise of suffrage as citizens," and demanded "the provision of picture ballots and easy-to-understand election materials." After the press conference, they submitted a complaint to the Central District Court.

They stated, "The ballots used in public elections are long sheets of paper with only the party and candidate numbers and names written in text, and no visual information is provided, making it difficult for developmentally disabled persons to identify who the candidates are."

Furthermore, they urged the provision of picture ballots, noting that "countries such as the United Kingdom and Sweden have measures in place to ensure that persons with cognitive and language comprehension difficulties can easily access election information."

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