El derecho al voto y la discapacidad: retos legales para Colombia

This article contains a legal interpretation of relevant international human rights law provisions relating to voting rights of persons with disabilities. The focus is on a comprehensive interpretation of Article 29(a) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which provides for the right to political participation for persons with disabilities. This interpretation is based on the application of the rules of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (Articles 31 and 32). The overall aim of this article is to identify and analyse the legal obligations of Colombia under Article 29(a) of the CRPD regarding the introduction of new technologies for the exercise of the right to vote for persons with disabilities, including screen readers, electronic voting systems equipped with magnification devices, and tactile ballots. The analysis of these commitments presented here may serve as a guide to assess the Colombian State’s compliance with international human rights law, for example through the recent electoral reform project, including the amendment of the National Electoral Law (Legislative Decree 141 of 2022), as provided for by Legislative Decree 2241 of 1986. Reform of Colombia’s electoral law must 2023ensure that people with disabilities have access to accessible voting materials, can vote secretly and independently, and can freely express their political opinions, in accordance with article 29(a) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.