'Every vote counts'

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ePolitix.com speaks to Su Sayer, chief executive of United Response, about its Every Vote Counts report launch event in Parliament

Every Vote Counts, United Response's three-year project, is coming to an end, what has it involved?

The aim of Every Vote Counts (www.everyvotecounts.org.uk) has been to help people with learning disabilities become better engaged in the democratic process by showing how politics is relevant to their daily lives.

People with learning disabilities have the same right to vote as everyone else, but our work through the Every Vote Counts project has shown us that there is a lack of awareness among both people with learning disabilities and politicians about this right. As a result, the majority of people are failing to vote and have their voices heard.

Our research found that a lack of easy-to-understand information about policies, candidates and the reasons for voting, is also a major barrier – leaving many people with learning disabilities effectively disenfranchised.

Over the last three years we have worked with people with learning disabilities, as well as politicians, to try and change perceptions and remove the barriers. As part of this we have created a series of resources aimed specifically at helping people with learning disabilities gain a better understanding of the democratic process. A further set of guides we have created provide politicians and political parties with the tools to make their own information, such as manifestos and leaflets, more accessible.

How are you celebrating the campaign?

To celebrate the campaign and to raise further awareness of the voting rights of people with learning disabilities, we are hosting a reception at the House of Commons, this afternoon (20th January). We have a fantastic line-up of speakers including Andrew Dismore MP, chair of the joint committee on human rights, and Putney MP, Justine Greening, as well as people with learning disabilities, who will be sharing their first-hand experiences of voting.

At the event we will be launching our Every Vote Counts – Getting Voices Heard report, which explores why so many people with learning disabilities feel unable to vote and includes case studies, recommendations and practical guidance on involving people in 2010 and beyond.

We will also be launching our Making Democracy Accessible website, where MPs, political parties and public officials will find useful information on how to make their own information easier to understand. So there will be a lot going on.

Question: The Every Vote Counts report maintains that while 80 per cent of people with learning disabilities supported by United Response are registered to vote, only 16 per cent used their vote at the general election in 2005. Do you have high hopes this will sharply increase at the forthcoming general election?

Yes. By politicians, people with learning disabilities and learning disability organisations all working together, we hope that the percentage of people with learning disabilities voting at the next election will be closer to 40 per cent, and that 2010 will be the most inclusive election ever.

This is an ambitious target, but we think it is achievable. The first step towards this will be for all political parties to make their manifestos available in an easy-read version – something else which we are calling for in the report.

What have you found the key issues inhibiting people with disabilities from voting, to be?

Alongside a low awareness of the voting rights of people with learning disabilities and lack of accessible information on policies and what it means to vote, we have also found that many people wrongly assume that people with learning disabilities simply aren't interested in politics or affected by it.

In reality, people with learning disabilities are affected by political decisions in the same way as everyone else – more so, in some cases – and in our experience, are just as interested.

We hope this campaign will help to challenge these assumptions and show politicians that the votes of people with learning disabilities are as important as anyone else's.

Do you think politicians now have a better understanding of how to engage learning-disabled voters?

We have had a very positive response from politicians to the project so far, with many welcoming the guides that we have created. We know, however, that there is still a long way to go and that's why this parliamentary reception is so important. It will give politicians the opportunity to hear at first hand what people with learning disabilities feel about politics and why they must be included.

What does the report recommend moving forward?

Whilst the election taking place this year is incredibly important, it is only one part of the democratic process. People with learning disabilities must continue to be given opportunities to become better-engaged beyond 2010, and not only through taking part in elections, but by engaging with representatives generally.

With this in mind, we are calling for all organisations working with people with learning disabilities to put in place a long-term strategy for improving the democratic involvement of the people they work with. We are also calling for all elected representatives, be they MPs or councillors, to review how they communicate with constituents, to take into account the needs of people with learning disabilities.