Outcomes of the AEC's Disability Action Plan 2004-2007

Achievements of the AEC’s first Disability Action Plan (2004-2007) include:

1. Conduct of an electronic voting trial at the 2007 federal election in 29 locations that allowed blind and vision impaired voters to vote independently and in secret.  This trial was developed in consultation with relevant peak disability groups.
2. Provision of election information and education in audio and video (via the AEC website and the production of physical tapes) and print formats.
3. Advertising of polling places with “full” or “assisted” wheelchair access in the press and on the AEC website.
4. Review of polling places between federal elections with the aim of maximising the number with wheelchair access.  The polling place inspection checklist was updated in consultation with the AEC’s Disability Advisory Group and a specialist access architect.  The AEC’s Polling Place Inspection Form includes relevant parts of AS1428.  The checklist incorporates an improved description of partial and full access categories.  Polling place inspections for the 2007 election were undertaken using this revised checklist.
5. Widespread promotion of alternative methods of voting - such as postal voting and pre-poll voting.
6. Addition of a luminous strip to voting screens to assist voters with depth perception difficulties.
7. Provision of wheelchair-friendly and table top voting screens in static polling places and pre-poll voting centres.
8. The AEC website meets AGLS and W3C standards for providing access to people with disability and includes a broad range of electoral information.
9. Provision of a facility for people to check their electoral enrolment on the Internet.
10. Delivery of a “Householder Leaflet” to each household prior to each Federal election to ensure that appropriate information is made available in hard copy format direct to householders.  This leaflet is also made available in Braille, large print, audiocassette and accessible web format.
11. Focus on the needs of electors with disability included in training of polling place staff.

AEC State Offices liaise with local disability groups and in some cases have established agreements on the distribution of enrolment and voting information.