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. 2023 May;36(3):629-640.
doi: 10.1111/jar.13087. Epub 2023 Mar 14.

The perspectives of people with intellectual disabilities on their experience of voting in UK general elections

Nicholas Manktelow  1 , Darren D Chadwick  2 , Stephanie Brewster  3 , Liz Tilly  4
Affiliations

The perspectives of people with intellectual disabilities on their experience of voting in UK general elections

Nicholas Manktelow et al. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2023 May.

Abstract

Background: People with intellectual disabilities' voting rate within the United Kingdom remains significantly below the population average despite government enacted voting promotion measures. No published academic literature directly involves people with intellectual disabilities when considering their UK general election experiences - this study aims to address this omission.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with people with intellectual disabilities (N = 20) about their election experiences during the 2017 (n = 18) and 2019 (n = 8) general elections. Six participants were interviewed around both elections. Data was analysed with template analysis.

Results: Eight themes were produced - election information, political knowledge, political opinions, voting choice process, polling station experience, voting outcome, capacity and support. Theme interactions impacted on election experiences.

Conclusions: While acknowledging diverse experiences, voting outcomes and experiences were particularly impacted by factor interactions concerning election information and/or polling station accessibility, capacity and support. Voting promotion interventions and future research should consider these areas.

Keywords: general election; intellectual disability; politics; voting.

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References

REFERENCES

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    1. Bell, D. M., McKay, C., & Phillips, K. J. (2001). Overcoming the barriers to voting experienced by people with learning disabilities. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 29(4), 122-127. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1468-3156.2001.00127.x
    1. Bigby, C., Tipping, S., Bould, E., & Thiele, R. (2019). Final report: Strategies to support people with intellectual disabilities to participate in voting. Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University.
    1. Bradford Talking Media. (2017, May 17). Have your say on the day [video]. You Tube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16JyqSrJlsM

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