A/HRC/19/36 55. In their replies, some States reported on information campaigns, media advertising, guides and awareness-raising initiatives to sensitize persons with disabilities to participate in political and public life. During the latest political elections, for example, Ecuador organized the campaign entitled “You have the right to vote” to encourage the registration of persons with disabilities in the voters’ list and their actual participation in the election process. States also provided information on the measures they have adopted to ensure that ballot papers are available in accessible formats (for instance, large-print versions for persons who are partially sighted or tactile voting devices for persons with visual impairments). 56. When persons with disabilities cannot exercise their right to vote independently, the majority of respondent States allow them to be accompanied by a person of their choice, for example in the voting booth when casting their vote. The assistant is required to help the person concerned to express his or her decision, and not to take the decision in his or her place. 57. Finally, many States provided information on alternative ways of voting, such as electronic voting, mobile polling stations, postal voting, voting by proxy and advance voting, available in accordance with their legislation. In some cases, it appears from their replies that the measures adopted are not consistent with the obligations arising from article 29. 58. Alternative ways of voting should be used only in cases where it is not possible, or it is extremely difficult, for persons with disabilities to vote in polling stations like everyone else. However, in some countries they represent the general practice. For example, some States allow persons with disabilities only to vote from their cars or at special polling stations for persons with disabilities in lieu of improving accessibility of existing polling stations. D. Participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life 59. The measures adopted by States parties to facilitate the participation of persons with different forms of impairment, the procedures followed to enable the participation of persons with disabilities through their representative organizations in decision-making processes, and the measures adopted to ensure that that such participation is full, effective and meaningful vary from one country to the other. 60. In some countries, measures to support the inclusion of persons with disabilities in political and public life are part of national strategies or programmes on disability. Some countries allocate financial resources to national disability organizations to promote their participation in the activities of relevant Government bodies and advisory boards, and have established national councils on disability or similar consultative bodies to provide advice to the Government on issues relating to disability. In some countries, for example in Norway, there are also local and regional advisory councils on disability issues. 61. States are also required to facilitate the involvement and full participation of civil society, in particular persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, in monitoring the implementation of the Convention at the national level (art. 33, para. 3). The replies to the questionnaire show that States parties to the Convention have adopted a number of measures to implement this provision, such as granting financial or other assistance to DPOs, including persons with disabilities in independent monitoring bodies established pursuant to article 33, paragraph 2, and establishing appropriate procedures for integrating persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in the monitoring process. Most of the respondent States also declared that they had consulted with persons 13