Every vote counts: a case study of accessibility in the DRC elections

Abstract

On 20 December 2023, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held general elections. The HSRC Africa Institute of South Africa is committed to contributing towards knowledge generation of African democratic and electoral processes. In line with this goal, representatives from the institute embarked on an election observation mission to the DRC in La Gombe, downtown Kinshasa. In this report, we share some key challenges identified during the elections. This article focuses on the experiences of people who are differently physically abled, especially in the case of DRC, where the impact of several polio outbreaks is apparent.