If you’re over 18 and an Australian citizen, it’s compulsory to vote. Young people with disability can vote, including those with intellectual disability. You can help your young person to enrol to vote, and support them to vote in an election. If a young person with disability is unable to understand the significance of voting, even with support, they can get an exemption from enrolling to vote.
If you’re over 18 and an Australian citizen, it’s compulsory to vote. Young people with disability can vote, including those with intellectual disability. You can help your young person to enrol to vote, and support them to vote in an election.
If a young person with disability is unable to understand the significance of voting, even with support, they can get an exemption from enrolling to vote.
Enrolling to vote
To enrol to vote, you will need to provide Medicare card details, a citizenship number, a passport number, or a driver’s license number. If your young person does not have any of these, someone already enrolled to vote can confirm their identity.
Getting ready to vote
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has Easy Read Guides that explain how to enrol to vote, how to vote, and why it’s important.
You can also find written and video social stories that explain what to expect when voting.
Some young people with disability will find it helpful to practice voting. There are practice voting tools on the AEC website to help you understand what you need to do. You can fill in a sample ballot and have it checked to make sure you are filling it in correctly.
If you’re over 18 and an Australian citizen, it’s compulsory to vote. Young people with disability can vote, including those with intellectual disability.
Voting on election day
There are accessible voting options on election day. These include being helped by a family member or a support worker at the voting booth. If your young person has limited mobility, a polling place worker may bring the ballot to your car. Polling place workers can not help you fill in your ballot, so if your young person needs support at the voting booth, make sure a support person is there to help.
Voting early
Voting early can give you more flexibility and it may help to avoid busy periods. People with disability and their carers are eligible to vote before election day. Early voting centres open two weeks before election day. This means you can choose a day that you or your young person’s support worker is available to help.
Voting by mail
Did you know you can vote from home? Once an election is called, you can submit a postal vote application form to the AEC. After you’ve applied, the AEC will send you a postal vote pack in the mail. You must then complete your postal vote certificate and ballot paper(s) and seal them in the return envelope by 6 pm on election day.
It’s important to post your vote to the AEC as soon as you can, so your vote is counted. Votes received more than 13 days after the election will not be counted.
Useful Links
AEC Information for people with disability or mobility restrictions
Disability and Voting: The Australian Electoral Commission has extensive resources on voting for many types of disability
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Tags: Australian Electoral Commission, Disability and Voting, disability and what to expect when voting, Getting ready to vote
