The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (Chairperson Hyun Byung chul) decided to express opinion to the Chairperson of the National Election Commission and Minister of Health and Welfare to practically guarantee the right to vote of patients at mental health facilities.
The NHRCK, through the opinion, decided to ask Chairperson of the National Election Commission to ensure that official bulletins regarding elections deliver to voters at hospitals as well as staff member of the hospitals and to strengthen supervision on election in order to prevent vote rigging including proxy voting when the polling takes place inside the facilities.
The NHRCK also advised to Minister of Health and Welfare to carry out education on managers and staff members of facilities so that persons with mental disabilities can practically be guided to exert their right to vote and be supported during casting vote.
The NHRCK decided to express the opinion based on the result of ‘Survey on right to vote of persons with disabilities residing in facilities’ and information on application for residence voting for the June 6 local election last year.
The result shows that many of persons with mental disabilities are not aware of the fact that they can vote, and the number of patients at mental hospitals who have applied for residence voting for the June 6 local election reached only 11% even at major mental hospitals.
Persons with mental disabilities older than 19 are given right to vote unless they are received special order from the court. Given that 73.5% of patients at metal health care facilities are hospitalized non-voluntarily, their right to vote could be completely deprived, since most of them cannot go out or stay out overnight as they want.
Accordingly, the NHRCK decided to express opinion to promote the residence voting system for the patients and to help them exert their right to vote under management/supervision of the National Election Commission.
