Two Slovenians Lead Charge for Voting Rights for Persons with Disabilities Throughout Europe

Two Slovenian persons with disabilities—Franc Toplak and Iztok Mrak, suffering from muscular dystrophy—filed separate legal motions with the Slovenian government to ensure fair access to polling places for a 2015 national referendum on same-sex marriage. In the summary for their eventual case with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), it was noted that, prior to the referendum, they had filed these complaints to make sure they would have fair access to voting rights. Their complaint was dismissed but they appealed. After the referendum had come and gone, the Supreme Court of Slovenia dismissed their appeal on procedural grounds.

Mrak's frustration had been building for years, after more than a decade of failed attempts to make his polling place more accessible. As Mrak noted:

"I am deeply disappointed. The authorities have disappointed me by their inactivity...