An important part of democracy is the ability of people to vote secretly and independently.
Unfortunately for people who are blind or have low vision, like Vision Australia Advocacy and Government Relations Manager Chris Edwards, that’s a right they are often denied.
While many people who are blind or have low vision are denied the opportunity to exercise their voting rights in the same manner as their sighted peers when they head to the ballot box, there are methods available to provide people from the blind and low vision community with the same voting opportunity as anyone else.
iVote has been used successfully in New South Wales state elections and by-elections and Vision Australia has been lobbying for it to be used wider at a State and Federal level.
“iVote is a solution that allows me to independently vote and enables me to do it in secret,” Chris says.
“It’s about having a solution that is accessible and I can vote without any other intervention from anybody else,” he says.
You can lend your voice to our push to give people who are blind or have low vision the ability to vote secretly and independently by contacting your local Member of Parliament and advising them you want iVote to be available to those in your electorate.
For more information, call 130 84 74 66 or email [email protected].