The disability gap in voter turnout and its association to the accessibility of election information in EU countries

Abstract

It is known that people with disabilities encounter barriers to participation in national elections. These barriers often lead to differences in voter turnout between people with disabilities and those without (referred to as the disability gap). This study analyzed the disability gap in national elections between 2006 and 2016 in 24 European Union countries. Further, it analyzed the association between voter turnout and national levels of election information accessibility. Data from the European Social Survey and the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency were used. While the disability gap varied across countries and years, the average gap increased from 3.45 percent in 2006 to 8.38 percent in 2016 and remained statistically significant when controlling for potential confounders. Further, voter turnout was found to be positively related to the accessibility of information. These findings underline the need for more research on how to close the disability gap in voter turnout.

Points of interest

• This study reports that, in many European countries, people with disabilities are less likely to vote in national elections than people without disabilities.

• The study found that this difference in voter turnout increased from 2006 to 2016.

• The difference exists because individuals with disabilities face barriers to voting not faced by individuals without disabilities.

• Information about elections is, for example, often provided in standard formats that are inaccessible to individuals with disabilities. Information about elections includes information about the timing and location of elections as well as information on candidate positions.

• The study found that individuals with disabilities are more likely to vote in countries where election information is provided in accessible formats than in countries where it is provided in standard, non-accessible formats. Accessible formats include those that use easy-to-read layouts, large print, tactile writing systems, and read-aloud systems.

Keywords:

• Disability gap
• voter turnout
• social model of disability
• information accessibility

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the European Social Survey (ESS) for making their data publicly available.

Data availability statement

Data and tables are available from the corresponding author.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Geolocation information

European Union