Marginalised at the ballot box: Electoral barriers facing persons with disabilities in Nigeria

Democracy that is inclusive in nature ensures that all citizens, including persons with disabilities, are able to take part in electoral processes without physical, institutional or social barriers that limits their voting rights and political inclusion. This study examined electoral barriers facing persons with disabilities in Nigeria, with specific focus on the 2019 and 2023 general elections. The study adopts a qualitative research approach. The study purposively selected three geopolitical zones from which two states were also purposively selected. Primary data collected was by purposive sampling to selected key informants and snowball was used to reach persons with disabilities that had participated in general elections, whereas secondary data sources included academic literature, election observation reports, reports from relevant organisations working on disability inclusion and electoral reform. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The study found that physical, institutional, social, and economic barriers were significant problems that hinder participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral processes. Findings revealed that these are experienced through inaccessibility of polling units, inadequate deployment of assistive voting technologies, weak training of electoral officials, negative attitudes and social stigma, poor voter education, weak disability data systems, and financial constraints. The study concludes that disability inclusion in elections in Nigeria remains largely policy driven but weak in practice, as effective participation is still heavily constrained. The study recommends, among others, enhancing political inclusion through improved electoral laws, accessibility to polling units, education, and addressing financial barriers that hinder electoral participation of PWDs.