Regulations on Voting Rights for Persons with Disabilities: A Comparative Study between Indonesia and Australia

Abstract

Indonesia as well as Australia have signed and ratified Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This action is regarded as a new chapter for two countries to strengthen their commitment to fulfill political rights for persons with disabilities. Article 29 of the Convention calls on all states to assure that persons with disabilities can participate effectively and fully in political sphere, included the right and opportunity to vote in the election. All states have to ensure that voting procedures, facilities and materials in the election are appropriate, accessible and easy to understand and use. This article aims to explore more and compare the implementation of voting rights for persons with disabilities in Indonesia and Australia, and also how both countries regulate the procedure and mechanism of voting rights into domestic laws based on the Convention. The result is found that either Indonesia or Australia has formulated accommodative and responsive laws to uphold the voting rights for people with disabilities. However, in certain aspects, regulations in Australia are more progressive and innovative than in Indonesia.