We offer a range of support to disabled voters.
At the polling station
Support is available to disabled voters at our polling stations.
Wheelchair accessibility
All polling stations are wheelchair accessible, and we provide ramps where needed.
Disabled parking
Where available, reserved parking is available for voters with disabilities.
Polling station staff
Our staff working in the polling station will wear a name badge, and are available to help and give guidance.
Equipment
There is a range of equipment provided to each polling station to enable, or make it easier, for voters with disabilities to cast their vote independently and in secret. The equipment includes:
- polling booths at wheelchair level help voters who use a wheelchair to access a lower writing surface
- enlarged hand held copies of the ballot paper can be given to voters who are partially sighted to take into the polling booth
- a ‘tactile voting device’ to enable blind or visually impaired voters to mark their ballot papers without help
- magnifiers to increase the size of the text on a document providing support for voters who are visually impaired to vote independently
- chairs or seating providing a place to rest for voters who cannot stand for long periods, and a seat for voters who would like to take some time to think before entering the polling station
- pencil grips to help voters with dexterity impairments to more easily hold and use a pencil independently
If you need further assistance to mark your ballot paper, help is available:
- if you are a disabled voter and you would like support to complete a ballot paper on your own, you can take a companion over the age of 18 to the polling station to assist you
the presiding officer at the polling station can help you fill in your ballot paper
Other ways of voting
If you don't want to go to the polling station to vote, you can vote by post, and voters with a disability can have a permanent proxy vote. For further information, visit:
Easy read guides
To help overcome concerns and anxieties about what voting at the polling station will be like, easy read guides are available for voters who want to know more about voting at the polling station:
Mencap’s easy read guides to voting
Learning Disability England: voting resources
My Vote My Voice: quick guide to voting
My Vote My Voice: what your vote does
RNIB: Voting and elections: what you need to know
Polling station experiences
Charlotte, Hugh and Harry share their experiences of voting.
Charlotte and Hugh
Watch a video about Charlotte and Hugh's experiences (You Tube)
Charlotte has a learning disability and talks about her experience of voting for the first time and the support she received from polling station staff who explained the voting process to her.
Hugh is visually impaired and works for RNIB. Hugh talks about the use of the Tactile Voting Device (TVD), secrecy of his ballot and the use of the large print ballot paper.
Harry
Watch a video about Harry's experiences (You Tube)
Harry works for MENCAP and has a learning disability. Harry talks about the support he received voting for the first time. Harry also suggests someone at the polling station should wear an ‘Accessibility’ badge so that voters know who they can ask for support.