A Legal Analysis of the Fulfillment of Electoral Rights of Persons with Visual Impairments in Promoting Inclusive Elections in Palopo City in 2024

This study examines the legal fulfillment of the electoral rights of persons with visual impairments in promoting inclusive elections in Palopo City during the 2024 General Elections. The study aims to analyze the implementation of legal provisions governing the electoral rights of persons with visual impairments, identify the factors hindering their effective participation, and evaluate the efforts undertaken by the General Elections Commission of Palopo City to ensure accessible electoral services. This research employed an empirical legal approach using qualitative methods. Data were collected through interviews with election officials, field observations, and documentary analysis, and were analyzed using descriptive qualitative techniques. The findings reveal that the KPU of Palopo City has implemented various measures to fulfill the electoral rights of persons with visual impairments, including disability-based voter registration, the provision of Braille ballot templates, accessible polling station facilities, priority services, assistance mechanisms, and voter education programs. However, several obstacles remain, including incomplete voter registration, limited accessibility of electoral information, disparities in the capacity of polling station officials, and insufficient public awareness regarding the political rights of persons with disabilities. From the perspectives of the rule of law, legal protection, and substantive equality, these findings indicate that although the implementation of electoral services generally complies with the applicable legal framework, further improvements are required to strengthen accessibility, institutional capacity, and disability-inclusive electoral policies in order to realize genuinely inclusive elections.