A fundamental right

12 March 2025

Barriers and facilitators to voting and registration for people with mental health difficulties

David Woodhead and Katie Yau

Voting is a fundamental right for citizens in a democracy. However, people with mental health difficulties can encounter significant barriers in exercising this right. Implementing simple solutions could make a vital difference in enabling more people with mental health difficulties to participate in democratic life.

A fundamental right, based on research commissioned by the Electoral Commission, explores the factors that prevent people with mental health difficulties from registering to vote or participating in elections. The report finds that while many participants believed it was important to register to vote, they often felt the process was too complicated, with many mentioning a lack of knowledge about how to check their registration status.

The report explores the challenges people encountered in getting to and navigating the polling station environment, as well as views on postal voting and the electoral process itself. 81% of people surveyed said they believed politicians didn’t care about their mental health, and this dissuaded them from participating in elections. Living on a low income, being disabled or neurodiverse, and experiencing discrimination exacerbated the challenges of engaging with the electoral process for people with mental health difficulties.

What prevents people with mental health difficulties from voting? Four people icons with speech bubbles share the reasons for not voting and what percentage of research participants agreed with them: 'Politicians do not care about my mental health' (81% research participants); 'I can’t get to the polling station' (43%); 'I do not trust postal voting' (43%); 'I don’t know how to check if I am already registered' (57%)

Two speech bubbles; one reads: “The polling station is quite an alien environment, there's a lot of secrecy. you have to do things in a certain way. you're petrified to spoil your ballot.” The other speech bubble reads: “They need to be aware that people who come to vote have different needs. Mental health is something that is hidden, you can't see it.”

This research highlights the need for targeted efforts to improve people’s understanding about how to register to vote, and the available options for voting, to accommodate the diverse needs and preferences of people with mental health difficulties. Training polling staff in understanding the needs of people with mental health difficulties, as well as practical support to get to the polling station, and clear signage to guide people through the process could also go a long way in helping more people to exercise their democratic rights.

Clinicians and service providers also have a clear role to play in encouraging people to exercise their voting rights – simple adjustments, a conversation about the voting process, and some reassurance and support can help to break down the barriers to voting for people with mental health difficulties.