The Right to Political Participation and the Information Society
Hans K. Klein · The MIT Press eBooks · 2006
The right to political participation refers to citizens’ right to seek to influence public affairs. Political participation can take many forms, the most notable of which is voting in elections, but also including joining a political party, standing as a candidate in an election, joining a non-governmental advocacy group, or participating in a demonstration. The foundational legal articulation of this right can be found in the UN’s 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and it has been further formalized and elaborated in later treaties, most notably the 1976 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. As currently implemented by the UN, various operating entities assess signatory states’ respect for this right and, when violations are determined to have occurred, may call on states to changes their practices.