Introduction

For the first time, electors who are blind or have low vision were able to lodge an independent and secret vote at the 2007 federal election. It is estimated that about 300,000 Australians are blind or have some kind of vision impairment.

The provision of electronically assisted voting is referred to as a ‘trial’ because the legislation referred to the 2007 election only.

Information on how the trial was conducted is set out below.

Background

In its review of the 2004 election, the Joint Standing Committee into Electoral Matters (JSCEM) considered submissions from organisations which highlighted the fact that many electors were people who were blind or had low vision and could not complete a ballot paper in secretly or independently because they needed assistance from others.  The JSCEM recommended that electronically assisted voting be trialled at the 2007 federal election for electors who are blind or have low vision. The Government supported the trial and provided appropriate funding to the Australian Electoral Commission.

Legislation

The Electoral and Referendum Legislation Amendment Act (2007) subsequently passed into law in March 2007.

The voting process

The electronic voting machines were available at 29 pre-poll voting centres around Australia for two weeks before and on polling day.  Votes cast in the trial were pre-poll votes and voters were assisted in completing an application for a pre-poll vote when they arrived at the voting centre.

They were then escorted to an electronic voting machine by a polling official.

The way the system works

The system allowed electors to record their votes using an electronically assisted method.

Electors who had some vision were able to use the 21inch flat screen monitor.  The display was either yellow on black or black on white, with an option for larger font.

Electors who could not use the monitor were guided through the process by voice instructions using headphones.  The voter navigated the system using a telephone-style keypad, which had large black numbers on a white background.  The operation of each key was explained by a pre recorded voice, but was also available in the voting centre in large print and in Braille.

Voters were invited to become familiar with the machine by using a practice voting session, and a polling official assisted in this practice.  When the voter was ready to vote, the polling official enabled the machine to present the correct ballots to the voter and then left the voter to cast their vote in private.

Once the voter had made their selections, the voter’s preferences were printed on a small laser printer next to the electronic voting machine.  The preferences were contained within a two-dimensional barcode to preserve the secrecy of the vote in the polling place.  These barcodes were decoded later and the  votes counted along with all other pre poll votes.  At no time were the voter’s preferences able to be associated with the identity of the voter.

When the voter finished voting, a polling official assisted the voter to place the votes in the declaration vote envelope and the declaration vote envelope in the ballot box.

• Helpful hints
• Keyboard layout

Trial locations

After extensive consultation with a reference group comprising representatives of Blind Citizens Australia, Vision Australia, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations and Radio for the Print Handicapped, and consultation with local organisations, 29 locations were chosen to host electronic voting machines for the 2007 federal election.

The locations of the pre-poll voting centres and the electorate each one is in is listed here.

If you are not near a site with electronic voting

As this was a trial and only 29 locations were used, the AEC acknowledges that it was not possible for all electors who are blind or have low vision to access a designated pre-poll centre which had electronically assisted voting machines.

Electors who are blind or have low vision and were not near a site involved in the trial had the option of casting an assisted vote at a polling place on election day, an early vote at a pre-poll voting centre, or voting by post.