Jakarta, IO – The 2024 General Election on February 14 still leaves interesting stories to recount. One of those stories would be the engagement of people with mental disabilities in voting. The General Election Commission (KPU) of Indonesia has allowed people with mental disabilities (ODGJ) to vote, which has posed a challenge for election organizers in various regions. The Permanent Voter List (DPT) includes 264,594 people with mental disabilities, out of 1.1 million disabled people eligible to vote in the 2024 election.
There are several important considerations when executing a vote for a disabled group of people. As a democratic practice, voting should not only be a part of partisan groups but is also expected to accommodate the aspirations of people with mental disabilities. The democratic system should embrace and include the interests of the entire society (inclusive).
People with mental disabilities (ODGJ) are a community with several complexities, both in their ability to perceive sensory perceptions and their inability to understand reality, resulting in distortion between the imaginary world and the real world, including an increase in anxiety levels due to traumatic events and other factors. ODGJ disorders can be attributed to a neurotransmitter system in the brain, passed down through generations (genetic). Drug users may also exhibit disorders. As a result, people with mental disorders typically undergo collaborative therapy that includes both psychological and medical therapies via drugs (psychopharmacology). To minimize the effects of drug usage, they are frequently instructed to physically stay active through gymnastics or sports, art guidance, mental and psychological guidance, and labor-intensive tasks during the rehabilitation process.
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The complexities experienced by people with mental disabilities (including types of disorders and their respective designations) and their specific treatments allow them to be provided with a political education. Such an education for mentally disabled individuals can include the introduction of voting, including its practice, before the elections.
Implementing political education for mentally disabled people can be challenging. For instance, a sudden relapse in certain individuals with mental disabilities may take place when they try to simplify a concept. Individuals with mental disabilities undergoing specific treatment cannot handle complex thinking. Therefore, election and political education organizers need to set criteria and establish their needs, as individuals with mental disabilities (especially schizophrenia) are vulnerable to specific situations.