The Forgotten Voters: A Review of the Voting Rights of Persons with Disabilities in General Elections in ASEAN

Authors

Saittawut Yutthaworakool and Ika Kurnia Riswandari

Executive Summary

The right to vote is a fundamental element of democratic participation and is guaranteed under Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). ASEAN member states have reaffirmed this commitment through regional frameworks, including the Bali Declaration and the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025. However, persons with disabilities (PWDs) continue to face persistent exclusion from general elections across Southeast Asia. This report reviews the voting rights of PWDs in selected ASEAN member states that conducted general elections between 2013 and 2023. Using a human rights-based approach and an in-depth literature review, the study examines legal frameworks and electoral practices to identify factors that enable or hinder inclusive elections. The findings reveal a significant gap between legal commitments and implementation. While most countries recognise equality before the law, electoral inclusion for PWDs is often limited to election-day accommodations, with limited attention to voter registration, access to information, political campaigning, and post-election participation. Barriers persist due to inadequate legal protections, inaccessible infrastructure, insufficient training of election officials, limited accessible information, and prevailing attitudinal biases. The report concludes that inclusive elections in ASEAN remain fragmented and largely procedural. Advancing disability-inclusive democracy requires a shift towards a comprehensive, rights-based, and whole-of-electoral-cycle approach that fully recognises PWDs as political citizens.