Send sample email to the Venice Commission

By filling out this form you will send an email to the Venice Commission Member from your country.

Dear Venice Commission Member,

I am writing to ask you to fully support the right of people with disabilities to vote, without exception.

As you are aware, during its 14-15 October 2011 session, the Venice Commission will review its Interpretive Declaration on the right to vote of people with disabilities. I am confident that you as the representative of our country will ensure that international human rights law is adhered, including those of the Council of Europe as well as particular Article 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

Thomas Hammarberg, the Commissioner of Human Rights of the Council of Europe, spoke directly to the Venice Commission’s proposals in March, stating that, “the principle of universal suffrage is not consistently applied. Persons with mental health problems or intellectual disabilities are denied voting rights, in most cases as a consequence of having had their ‘legal capacity’ restricted or removed. In his statement, Commissioner Hammarberg also reminds us that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities “leaves no room for procedures in which judges or medical practitioners would assess the voting competence of a person and then give a green light – or not. As we do not test that capability for someone without disabilities, this would amount to blatant discrimination.”

I would be grateful if you could inform me of the steps you are taking to ensure that universal suffrage remains genuinely respected and the right to vote is ensured for all adults with disabilities, without exception.

I look forward to hearing from you soon, and thank you for your commitment to constitutional law and human rights.

Yours sincerely,

NAME