Living with a mental health difficulty makes the everyday activities of life harder. Perhaps, then, it’s no surprise that people with mental health problems are less likely to vote in democratic elections. That’s a huge swathe of the population who are not having their voices heard. Everyone over 18 with a mental health difficulty has the right to vote – even when in hospital (unless detained there under a criminal conviction).
Disempowerment and social exclusion should not be an inevitable part of living with a mental illness. And if we’re serious about equity and equality, they need to be overcome. Many people with mental health difficulties are hardest hit by political decisions, making it even more vital that they have a say in how the country is run.
Facilitating participation in democratic processes can, just like employment, be one tool for recovery and better mental health. Being able to vote reminds us that we are equal citizens, part of wider society, and that our voice matters.
What prevents people with mental health difficulties from voting?
The Electoral Commission commissioned our team at Centre for Mental Health to explore the obstacles to voting faced by people with a mental health difficulty, and how they could be overcome. We heard from over 160 people who highlighted a range of barriers, including:
- Not trusting politicians, or feeling that politicians don’t care about mental health
- Difficulties or confusion around registering to vote
- Mental ill health making it harder to take part
- Lack of transport or support to vote
- Lack of information about the voting process itself
- Confusion around rules about voter photo ID
- Lack of trust in or uncertainty around postal or proxy voting options
- Negative past experiences of not feeling understood or supported by staff at polling stations.
The key barriers to voting with a mental health problem
The top reason for not registering or voting was a belief that ‘politicians don’t care about my mental health’ (81% of participants agreed), which reflects other polling of young people and adults on the topic. While mental health is known to be a major issue for voters, it appears that politicians are failing to take mental health as seriously as the people who vote for them.
While some participants talked about the pride and connection they felt in voting at a polling station on election day, others (43%) said they were unable to get to their local polling station, or didn’t have anyone to come with them for support (36%).
But when it came to alternatives to voting in person, 43% of people said they didn’t trust postal voting, and some said that they found the postal voting process complex and confusing.
How to support people with mental health problems to exercise their voting rights
The barriers described may not be surprising – but this doesn’t mean that they’re insurmountable. We asked people with mental health difficulties what would help them to take part in the voting process. They suggested:
- More information – including about postal voting, photo ID, and how to register
- Practical support to get to the polling station, including clear signage to direct people to additional support
- Training for polling station staff in understanding the needs of people with mental health difficulties
- Developing the skills and confidence of staff in health, social, housing and employment services to encourage service users to register to vote
- Exploring the feasibility of online options for voting
- Learning from Covid-19 testing centres, which were felt to be successful in communicating clearly, providing patient support, and representing the process in clear terms by using infographics.
Pockets of promising work are already under way. Central and North West London NHS trust’s voting rights strategy outlines steps for staff to ask every patient whether they would like support to register and vote. The My Voice My Vote campaign encourages people with learning disabilities and autistic people to vote.
Our research shows that overcoming the barriers requires relatively simple steps – but they ensure that no one is excluded from the fundamental right of taking part in our democracy.
