Mobile aid to vulnerable groups of voters

Donor: Democratic Institutions and Practice Canada-Ukraine Fund and “Foundation for Civil liberties”
Timeframe: January – April 2006

Project Area:

• Bakhchisaraj district, the Republic of Crimea;
• Perechyn district, Zakarpattya oblast;
• Kolomyja district, Ivano-Frankivsk oblast;
• Kirovograd;
• Mykolaiv;
• Kherson;

Project Budget:287 800 UAH

Project Objective: to decrease opportunity of electoral votes manipulation and tampering during voting outside of election polls; to enhance electoral rights maintenance during People's Deputies of Ukraine and local board deputies elections for those who cannot move on their own because of disability or health problems. 

Project Target Groups:

• Those citizens who cannot move on their own constantly because of their age, disability or state of health;
• Those citizens who cannot move on their own temporally because of sudden disease, or necessity to be confined to bed at the time of elections.

Project Specific Objectives:

• To create and to support Mobileaidtovoters (MAV)services in six regions selected (Bakhchisaraj district, the Republic of Crimea; Perechyn district, Zakarpattya oblast; Kolomyja district, Ivano-Frankivsk oblast; Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kirovograd).
• To monitor how legislation is violated in the field of voting organization outside of election polls and special polling stations in hospitals.
• To spread instructive materials of how electoral rights should be exercised during voting outside of election polls.

Results:

• The training for regional coordinators and Mobileaidtovoters (MAV)managers has been conducted. The training has increased regional coordinators and MAVmanagers level of knowledge about vulnerable electors voting peculiarities. The legal aspects of vulnerable groups electoral rights maintenance have been considered;
• Electoral legislation infringements have been examined, especially among those electors who have right to vote where they are on the day before voting, and among the service members on the day of voting. The monitoring has shown that most of committees do not have enough material and technical supplies to provide vulnerable electors with voting facility. The voter's lists tended to contain a great amount of mistakes and often to ignore those who cannot move on their own;.
• The information of Mobileaidtovotersactivities has been spread via presentations conducting (in Kyiv and each of the six regions); via educational leaflet distribution (edited by Counterpart Creative Center Charity Foundation in 1000 copies) and a brochure “How to Vote at the Place of Residence” (edited by Counterpart Creative Center Charity Foundation in 20000 copies); via publications and announcements distribution in local and regional printed mass media (in total amount of 20 publications). The leaflets were spread among disabled and veteran public organizations, hospitals and constituencies. Announcements were posted at porches during special actions before the elections. Regional coordinators and service managers took part in radio programs;
• 1547 citizens received assistance from Mobileaidtovotersservices. Among them 621 citizens in Mykolaiv; 382 in Kirovograd; 204 in Bakhchisaraj district; 157 in Kherson; 96 in Perechyn district; 87 in Kolomyja district. In this way, more than 1500 citizens received assistance in their electoral right realization;
• Within the production the following printed matter was published:
  • Informational leaflets (1000 copies);
  • Brochure (20000 copies);
  • The handbook “Mobile Aid to the Vulnerable Groups of Population” from the Project implementation experience (500 copies).