GECOM examines barriers facing voters living with disabilities

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has renewed discussions on making the electoral process more inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities.

According to the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD) in a post on its social media page, the consultation, which was held recently, brought together members of the disability community and their representatives to share experiences, concerns and recommendations on improving their participation in elections. The discussions come against the backdrop of concerns raised during the September 1, 2025 General and Regional Elections, when observers identified continued physical and procedural barriers affecting persons with disabilities and reduced mobility. The European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission reported that 59 per cent of polling stations it observed lacked independent access for persons with reduced mobility. The Commonwealth Observer Group, meanwhile, recommended that GECOM gather disaggregated data on voters by sex, age and disability to better support electoral inclusion. The GCOPD also identified shortcomings in voter assistance, reporting that only 7.8 per cent of polling stations had functional information clerks, despite 85.6 per cent of poll workers receiving inclusion training. The findings echo concerns raised on election day last year, when several persons with disabilities reportedly encountered difficulties accessing polling stations. At a September 2, 2025 press conference, GECOM Public Relations Officer (PRO) Yolanda Ward apologised to members of the disability community, acknowledging the difficulties some voters faced. Ward explained that GECOM is required by law to assign voters to polling stations within their respective electoral divisions or sub-divisions. As a result, some persons with disabilities were assigned to buildings that were difficult to access or did not have facilities such as ramps. She said Presiding Officers were instructed, as far as possible, to provide the assistance necessary to enable affected voters to cast their ballots. The issue was also raised by then incumbent People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) General Secretary (GS) Bharrat Jagdeo, who said he had received photographs showing elderly persons and persons with disabilities being assisted upstairs to reach polling stations. Jagdeo said the issue should be examined ahead of future elections, particularly where polling stations are located in multi-storey buildings without elevators. Prior to the 2020 General and Regional Elections, the GCOPD made recommendations to GECOM aimed at improving the voting experience for persons with disabilities, including measures to facilitate independent voting. During the 2025 elections, Head of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Electoral Observation Mission, Bruce Golding urged GECOM to avoid placing polling stations on upper floors where possible. Golding said persons unable to climb stairs could otherwise have to be physically lifted to reach polling stations. However, he also noted that the mission observed persons with disabilities being given priority at some polling locations, including a wheelchair user who was allowed to proceed to the front of the line.