Currently, no AODA standards require provincial or municipal elections in Ontario to be accessible. However, the Third Review of the AODA recommends the creation of standards mandating accessibility in politics and elections. In this article, we will outline the need for accessible information in political campaigns.
Accessible Information in Political Campaigns
Before voters can cast their ballots at polling stations, they must decide which candidate to vote for. This decision should be based on the contents of all candidates’ political campaigns, including:
- All-candidate debates
- Advertisements on TV or radio
- Websites of parties and candidates
- Flyers
- Signs
As a result, all these elements of political campaigns should be fully accessible, so that every voter can make informed choices. Every voter should be able to learn about each political party’s platform, and the goals of each candidate.
Accessible In-Person and Televised Events
AODA standards for elections could mandate that in-person debates include communication supports, such as:
- Captioning
- Sign language interpretation
Moreover, interpretation could also be part of any televised broadcasting of these debates. In addition, televised debates could also feature closed captioning and audio description. Similarly, televised campaign advertisements should also include closed captioning and audio description.
Accessible Websites
Furthermore, all websites of parties and candidates should be accessible with assistive technologies, without barriers. Under the Information and Communications standards, new web content that parties and candidates post should be accessible, including:
However, in practice, many websites are not accessible when they are created. Instead, designers may not realize that their sites are not accessible until someone with a disability tries to use them. Then, the designers must spend time changing their sites to comply with the law.
In contrast, designers of political websites may not have the time it takes to redesign inaccessible web content. Voters of all abilities deserve timely access to the online information that political parties and candidates post before elections. Therefore, AODA standards for elections could mandate guidelines to ensure the accessibility of political websites. For instance, standards could require that every official website for a party or candidate must be tested for accessibility before it is launched to the public. Similarly, standards could mandate that if an online platform has any features that are not accessible, parties and candidates cannot use those elements when campaigning.
Accessible Flyers
Similarly, any flyers or leaflets that parties or candidates distribute, in person or by mail, should be available in accessible formats. For instance, candidates could create accessible web versions of any hard-copy print information they distribute. Voters could read these web versions online, or create hard copies for themselves in alternate formats, such as:
- Braille
- Large print
Furthermore, if candidates are distributing flyers in person, they should alert each potential voter that these online versions are available. Similarly, they could also prominently display the web address for the online version on all hard copies. In this way, when a voter with a print disability asks a support person to read the print version, the voter will quickly learn that they can read the leaflet for themselves.
Accessible Signage
Finally, signs advertising political parties and candidates should also include accessible elements, such as:
- Placement at eye level, for voters at wheelchair and standing heights
- Detailed information, for voters with hearing disabilities
- Clear language or pictures, for voters with intellectual disabilities
- Large print and good colour contrast, for voters who are visually impaired
- Braille, for voters who are blind or deafblind
AODA standards for politics and elections could implement all these guidelines to ensure accessible campaign information for all voters.