The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage recently uploaded information for voters with disabilities in a range of different languages. There are special arrangements to assist those electors with an illness or disability to exercise their voting rights, which can be summarised as follows:
- voting at an alternative polling station if a person’s local station is inaccessible;
postal voting by electors living at home who cannot g o to the polling station due to a disability or illness; - special voting facilities provided in hospitals, nursing homes or similar institutions for residents who cannot go to the polling station due to a disability or illness;
- assistance in voting at the polling station by a companion or by the presiding officer for people with a visual impairment, physical disability or literacy difficulty;
- the use of photographs and party political emblems on ballot papers to assist visually impaired people and people with literacy difficulties;
- the display of a large print copy of the ballot paper in polling stations to further assist visually impaired people and people with literacy difficulties;
- availability of a Ballot Paper Template to enable voters with visual impairment to mark their ballot paper without assistance.
Information for voters with disabilities in a range of different languages can be found at this link.