Make voting convenient for PWDs, groups urge.

BY REYNALDO SANTOS, JR., RAPPLER.com
April 22, 2012

MANILA, Philippines – The government and some civic groups are aiming to increase the participation rate of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in elections, especially with the mid-term polls in 2013 about a year away.

According to Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, there are around 2.6 million PWDs in the country qualified to vote in 2013, potentially making them a key voting bloc.

However, going by the 2010 national elections experience, wherein only 345,000 PWD voters registered and, of this, only 53% actually went to cast their ballot, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Rene Sarmiento said there is more to be done to promote the voting rights of PWDs.

This is the aim of a 3-year program of the Asia Foundation, with support from the Australian  Agency for International Development (AusAID) that aims to increase voting participation of PWDs in the 2013 midterm polls.

In the launch of the Asia Foundation’s Fully Abled Nation campaign on April 18, civic group members and government officials claim that there is a need to make voting practices convenient to PWDs, especially that their participation rate decreased in the recent election.

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