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cédulas, para que la Registraduría pueda tenerlas disponibles en las mesas de votación en las que sean requeridas.[25] Lo anterior, hasta tanto se implemente una medida diferente que garantice en una mayor nivel los derechos fundamentales al voto y a la igualdad de los invidentes. La orden impartida protege no sólo los derechos fundamentales del actor, sino también los derechos fundamentales de todos los invidentes capacitados en el sistema braille del país, puesto que la situación de hecho que se presenta ante esta Corporación, no se refiere exclusivamente a una afectación individual y aislada, sino general para toda la comunidad de limitados visuales que comprenden el sistema braille. Nuevamente se hace énfasis en que la protección constitucional al derecho fundamental a la participación en la conformación del poder público trasciende el nivel subjetivo, interesando tanto al titular individual del derecho, como a la comunidad en su totalidad. Por lo cual, la realidad de formar una voluntad política popular, auténtica y soberana, exige una protección objetiva y no individualista de los derechos fundamentales al sufragio y a la igualdad, lo cual explica el alcance del efecto de esta sentencia. RESUELVE: PRIMERO.- REVOCAR los fallos proferidos por el Juzgado Dieciséis (16) Penal del Circuito, en primera instancia, el quince (15) de marzo de 2002, y por el Tribunal Superior del Distrito Judicial de Bogotá - Sala Penal -, en segunda instancia, el tres (03) de mayo de 2002, dentro del proceso de tutela de la referencia. SEGUNDO.- CONCÉDASE el amparo constitucional de los derechos fundamentales al voto y a la igualdad solicitado por Carlos Parra Dussan. TERCERO.- ORDÉNESE a la Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil la expedición de tarjetas electorales transcritas al sistema braille, y su suministro a los invidentes que las requieran, durante los comicios electorales que a partir de este momento se celebren. Cópiese, notifíquese, publíquese en la Gaceta de la Corte Constitucional y cúmplase. RODRIGO ESCOBAR GIL Presidente de la Sala MARCO GERARDO MONROY CABRA Magistrado EDUARDO MONTEALEGRE LYNETT Magistrado MARTHA VICTORIA SACHICA MENDEZ Secretaria General

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Sentencia T-487/03

Judgment

Question Presented: Whether the failure of the Registraduría to provide Braille electoral ballots to visually impaired voters violated their fundamental rights to political participation (Article 40 of the Constitution), equality (Article 13), and human dignity (Article 1) — and whether the provision of Braille ballots is a constitutionally mandated necessary consequence of the state's obligation to promote real and effective equality (igualdad real) for persons with disabilities.

Alleged Acts: Carlos Parra Dussan, a visually impaired Colombian citizen, filed an acción de tutela (writ of constitutional protection) against the Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil (National Civil Registry), the government entity responsible for administering elections in Colombia. Parra Dussan challenged the absence of Braille electoral ballots, which prevented him and other visually impaired citizens from exercising their right to vote autonomously and in secret. Without Braille ballots, blind voters were forced to rely on a companion to mark their ballot for them, compromising the confidentiality and independence of their vote. The plaintiff argued that this situation violated his fundamental rights to political participation, equality, and human dignity. This was the second time the Constitutional Court addressed the issue of Braille voting — the first being Sentencia T-473/03, which was shortly followed by T-487/03 as a reiteration and reinforcement of the same principles.

Procedural history: Parra Dussan filed the tutela directly against the Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil, seeking protection of his fundamental rights to vote autonomously and in secret.

Summary: Sentencia T-487/03 is a landmark Colombian Constitutional Court decision that established Braille electoral ballots as a constitutionally mandated measure to ensure that visually impaired citizens can exercise their fundamental right to vote autonomously and in secret. The Court held that the absence of Braille ballots violated the rights to political participation (Article 40), equality (Article 13), and human dignity (Article 1) of blind voters. The ruling was brought by Carlos Parra Dussan, a blind activist who later became president of the National Institute for the Blind (INCI), and it served as a reiteration and strengthening of the Court's earlier ruling in T-473/03. The decision ordered the Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil to implement Braille voting cards and to allow persons with disabilities to be accompanied by a trusted person in the voting booth. This ruling was historically significant because it paved the way for the first use of Braille ballots in a Colombian presidential election, fulfilling a decades-long struggle by disability rights advocates to make the electoral process fully accessible.

Conclusion: The Constitutional Court granted the tutela (granted constitutional protection) and reaffirmed that Braille electoral ballots are a necessary consequence of the constitutional obligation to promote real equality for persons with visual disabilities. The Court ordered the Registraduría to ensure the availability of Braille electoral cards. The Court held that providing Braille ballots is not a mere discretionary accommodation but a constitutional obligation flowing from the state's duty under Article 13 to promote real and effective equality. The Court emphasized that a blind person's ability to understand and use the Braille system directly affects their ability to exercise their vote without undue interference ("sin injerencias extrañas e indebidas a la luz de la Constitución"). The inability to vote without a companion reading the ballot for them compromised both the autonomy and the secrecy of the vote — two essential elements of democratic participation. The Court also reaffirmed the right of persons with disabilities to enter the voting booth accompanied by a trusted person of their choice, as a complementary measure to ensure accessibility.

Legal Issue(s)

Accessibility
Voters' Rights

Applicable Law(s): Colombian Constitution, Acto Legislativo No. 2 of 2003, and Law 361 of 1997.

Region: Americas

Country: Colombia

Language of Decision

Spanish

Court: Constitutional Court

Election Type: General

Date of decision: Jun 11, 2003

Geolocation

Latitude: 4.599

Longitude: -74.0755

: Geolocation

Link: https://juristeca.com/co/corte-constitucional-de-colombia/sentencias-y-autos/2003/6/sentencia-t-487-03

Primary Documents

Sentencia T48703.pdf
English
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Sentencia T-487/03

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