Acknowledgements endorsements Background methodology executive Summary 11 Recommendations 22 Article — general obligations 38

Inaccessible Voting Locations and Information

545. 
     During the 2007 federal election, available statistics found that only 15 percent of polling places were accessible.⁶²⁴
     
546. 
     Being able to vote is hampered by a lack of accessible transport options to and from voting venues, as well as a lack of access to the buildings, booths and voting processes themselves. Coupled with restrictions on casting postal votes⁶²⁵ and limited availability of electronically assisted voting,⁶²⁶ access difficulties cause additional cost and inconvenience.
     

Case Study

“One of our clients stated that her closest accessible polling booth was 45 minutes away by electric wheelchair and would cost around $20 to $50 if she caught a taxi. Consequently, our client decided to vote at her closest polling booth, which was ten minutes away by electric wheelchair. However, as the polling booth was not accessible, she was forced to vote outside. She did not have sufficient privacy and felt very undignified. Furthermore, our client was unable to place the ballot in the ballot box herself as the ballot box was inside the building and therefore had to rely on electoral officials to do it for her.”⁶²⁷

547. 
     Information on how to vote and the locations of accessible polling venues are not being made available to people with disability in accessible formats or in a timely manner.
     

Case Study

“One of our clients stated that as his local polling booth there was no easy English information available. The polling booth official was unable to communicate the steps required to fill out the ballot paper. Fortunately he had visited the booth with his father, and his father provided instructions. Our client did feel pressured to vote for a particular candidate, as he was aware that his father had voted for that party all of his life.”⁶²⁸

548. 
     These problems are exacerbated for people with disability from non-English speaking backgrounds who face language barriers in addition to issues with information and materials in accessible formats. This often means they need to rely on translators and interpreters to cast their vote.⁶²⁹
     

Case Study

“While I am able to cast an electoral vote, I must forego the secrecy of my vote as I require assistance to complete the ballot paper. Access to polling booths is often limited due to inadequate infrastructure and transport. Information, particularly from minor parties, is largely unavailable to me but improving as accessibility of the internet improves. However, those who cannot access the internet and/or have limited English proficiency often miss out on information produced by political parties.”