Voting with a disability can be a challenge, even in a country like Australia

Australia Broadcast Center

02-05-2025

When I go to vote, my priority is to find a location with wheelchair access.
Voting is a democratic right for all Australians, but for some people with disabilities, it can be an uncomfortable and sometimes distressing experience.
I have a physical disability called Spinal Muscular Atrophy and I use a power wheelchair to get around.
Eleanor says casting a vote with a disability can be an anxiety-inducing experience for some.
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ABC News: Rosemary Murphy
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Unfortunately, the only early polling location is 50 kilometres away from where I live in regional WA, and it's not listed as wheelchair accessible.
Although there were accessible booths inside, the street parking did not have access for wheelchairs to safely cross the road and there weren't ramps.
Navigating through the crowd outside is always a challenge but moving through the crowds on the inside is even harder.
Eleanor being handed how-to-vote cards while approaching the polling place in Albany.
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ABC Great Southern: Rosemary Murphy
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My power wheelchair is below people's eye level and pushing through is always stressful.
As I can't write for myself, I bring a carer and tell them what to put on the ballot paper for me.
Eleanor requires a carer to fill out her ballot paper.
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ABC News: Rosemary Murphy
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It is always noisy inside and it can be difficult for my carer to hear what I'm saying when I'm asking them to write down my voting preferences, because I have to whisper so other people don't hear my choices.
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For me, it's obvious I need that extra help. In some ways, it can be easier to have a disability as visible as mine when it comes to voting because there are no questions about the accommodations I need.
That process isn't so easy for voters with invisible disabilities, and it's made even more difficult if they are not confident to advocate for themselves.
Eleanor Beidatsch detailed her experience voting in Albany this week.
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ABC News: Rosemary Murphy
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For 20-year-old Gabe, who has anxiety and situational mutism, voting for the first time was an overwhelming experience.
"Being there was anxiety-inducing for me, I hyper-focused on getting it over with so I could leave," he said.
"The most difficult aspect of voting was the social interaction and navigation.
"Having severe anxiety to a point I can't talk meant even basic interactions, like telling my name, was difficult and I needed to have someone with me to speak for me.
"Then having no direct path of where to go once you've finished at the booth made it a little confusing."
Many people affected
More than 21 per cent of Australians have some type of disability, or around 5.5 million people, according to the 2022 ABS survey.
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Not every eligible voter with a disability needs assistance to cast their ballot, but there are still plenty of people who can benefit from accessible polling places.
Accessible polling places can make voting easier for those with a disability.
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ABC News: Rosemary Murphy
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A spokesperson from the AEC said it had increased the number of accessible polling places for the 2025 federal election by 20 per cent.
"We're constantly listening to feedback from voters and working to improve our offering at subsequent elections," they said.
"For 2025, the increase of 20 per cent for fully accessible polling places is something we're very proud to be able to offer.
"But we know that every voter is unique, and the widespread nature of Australian federal elections unfortunately means that our most convenient offering suit the requirements of [only] some voters."
'Archaic' laws need to change
Meanwhile, 75 organisations and disability advocates have signed an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, calling for changes to laws they say disproportionately prevent people with disability from voting.
A cross section of the organisations that signed the open letter.
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ABC News: Gian De Poloni
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Two sections of the Commonwealth Electoral Act say anyone "by reason of cognitive impairment, is incapable of understanding the nature and significance of enrolment and voting" should be stripped from the electoral roll.
Those removed need to provide medical evidence they are "capable of understanding" to be reinstated.
The groups say these provisions are "archaic and offensive" and inconsistent with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
This polling place in Albany has seen a steady stream of early voters.
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ABC News: Rosemary Murphy
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More than 28,000 people were removed from the roll between 2008 and 2012 due to these provisions, according to a Australian Law Reform Commission report, which also recommended they be repealed.
"It is extremely disappointing that despite significant advocacy … discriminatory laws are still in place," Down Syndrome Australia CEO Darryl Steff said.
The postal vote option
Postal voting has always been an option for anyone who can't vote in person or doesn't want to.
I don't usually bother with postal voting because I believe that people with disabilities should be seen in public.
I live in a regional area, and I can't go to the post office on my own to post my vote.
Postal voting is also difficult for Eleanor because she can't write on paper herself.
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Supplied: Australian Electoral Commission via Twitter
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I also can't write on paper for myself anyway, so it makes no difference if I am in a polling booth telling my carer what to write or doing it at home.
Whether you choose to vote in person or by post, voting is a human right and people with disabilities should have the same opportunity to choose our preferences based on what we want, not what is more convenient.
Additional reporting by National Digital and Disability Affairs Producer Evan Young.
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