Section 3: Electoral Period Section 3 Potential Barriers • Observers do not monitor access issues • Political parties do not address issues important to voters with disabilities or recruit candidates with disabilities • Party manifestos are not in accessible formats • Polling stations are not accessible • Security forces are not sensitized on how to provide a safe environment for voters with disabilities • Media outlets do not disseminate information in accessible formats • The complaints adjudication process is not accessible The electoral period consists of much more than just Election Day. Major events include: • Observation • Party and candidate nomination • Political party and candidate campaigns • Polling and counting • Tabulating and announcing election results • Electoral dispute resolution Observation International donors and implementing partners can facilitate partnerships between and among national and international observer groups and DPOs. Persons with disabilities should be included as short and long-term observers. Long-term observation actually starts in the pre-electoral phase and includes observation of processes like voter registration. Questions about election access should be on mainstream observer checklists and persons with disabilities should be trained on how to conduct election access monitoring. IFES and several DPO and national observer groups43 have devised a set of election monitoring methods and training packages focused on election access for persons with all types of disabilities. The election observation form includes questions on access measures in line with international standards on the right to political participation of persons with disabilities highlighted in the CRPD. These new election monitoring tools allow local DPO partners to use reliable monitoring data to identify priorities and effec43 General Election Network for Disability Access. <http://www2.agendaasia.org/>. Equal Access: How to Include Persons with Disabilities in Elections and Political Processes 51