Is the voting process inaccessible for disabled people?
Posted on: Mon 13 May 2019
With days remaining until Australians descend to their nearest polling station to decide who will be next to govern the country, the question over whether disabled people can cast their vote outright has outlined broader systemic problems which haven’t been properly addressed.
While the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has supplied online resources to assist and support disabled voters to enrol and participate in the electoral system, it doesn’t tap into the logistical and mundane practicalities including enrolment, education and transport which restricts some from being eligible to engage in this process.
Nathan Despott, Inclusion Melbourne‘s Policy and Projects Manager spoke to De-Stigmatised‘s Jarad about what the AEC could do to improve the experience of voting for those with intellectual/physical disabilities, cognitive impairments, autism and other conditions to make it more accessible for them to invoke their democratic right and fulfil their civic responsibility at the ballot box.
Produced by Jarad McLoughlin
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
