Parents’ Association created pamphlet to support voters with intellectual disabilities

By Barrier Free Japan, extract from NHK

October 28 2024

FUKUSHIMA – In order to encourage disabled young people over 18 to exercise their voting rights, a Fukushima City group made up of parents with intellectually disabled children created a pamphlet introducing the “proxy voting system” for the upcoming House of Representatives election, and is calling for active voting.

The “proxy voting system” is a system in which a polling station official can write the ballot for you if you have difficulty filling it out yourself due to a disability, illness, or injury.

The Fukushima City Parents’ Association, “Te o Tsunagu Parents’ Association,” in Fukushima City, is working to create an environment in which children with intellectual disabilities who are 18 years old or older can exercise their voting rights just like young people of the same age. For the upcoming House of Representatives election, the association has created a pamphlet to raise awareness of the system and distributed it to approximately 450 of its members’ families.

The pamphlet uses illustrations to explain the process from reception to voting and points to note when requesting a proxy vote. In addition, since polling station officials in Fukushima City wear badges on their chests, the people in the illustrations are actually wearing badges.

These are apparently designed to allow people to imagine what the polling station will be like in advance, reducing anxiety in an environment that is different from usual.

Kiso Akemi, representative of the parents’ association, said, “We hope that everyone will use the pamphlet in this election, to ease tension at the polling station and encourage children to vote.”

The parents’ association hopes to continue improving the pamphlet, contributing to the realization of a society where young people with disabilities can participate in elections with peace of mind.