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Australian Electoral Commission
We provide a range of resources and services to support people with disability or mobility restrictions.
This website features ReadSpeaker which reads the page content aloud. Click on the ‘Listen’ button at the top of this page to access this application. You can also save any content from the AEC’s website as an MP3 file.
If you’re an Australian citizen and aged 18 years or over, you need to enrol and vote in federal elections, by-elections and referendums. The following resources are available to help you enrol:
Learn how to vote in Australian federal elections:
Learn about federal elections in Australia and why your vote matters.
There are several ways you can vote, depending on your needs:
If you need help voting at a polling place, you can ask a friend, family member, or any person you trust to assist you. Polling staff are also trained to provide assistance if requested.
People with disability and their carers are eligible to vote early. Early voting begins two weeks before election day. Locations of early voting centres will be available on the AEC website after the election is announced.
After an election is announced the location of early voting centres and polling places for election day will be published on the AEC website. Using the online ‘Where to vote’ tool you can also find details about the accessibility features of each location to help you choose the best location to vote.
The AEC considers a range of accessibility requirements both outside and inside polling places. This includes access to public transport, parking, and paths of travel to the building. Inside we assess the availability of an alternate room for people with low-sensory needs, set up accessible voting screens, include two-person tables for assisted voting, and provide assistive technology.
Each polling place is given an accessibility rating:
If you can’t get to a polling place, you can apply for a postal vote once an election is announced.
People with disability and those caring for them can also apply to become a general postal voter to automatically receive ballot papers in the mail for every federal election.
If you need assistance with your postal vote, you can ask a friend or family member to help complete the ballot papers according to your instructions. The voter must sign the return envelope or make a mark as a signature.
Mobile voting teams will visit many people who can’t travel to a polling place including people living in residential facilities for people with disability. More information on voting options is available.
Voters who are blind or have low vision can cast a vote in secret from any location, including their own homes through the AEC’s secure telephone voting service. More information is available at Telephone voting.
Information about the election will also be made available in accessible formats including audio, large print and braille.
Every polling place, including early voting centres offers access to a virtual on-demand Auslan interpreter service. Voters can access this service by scanning the QR code on the poster in the polling place.
Auslan videos on enrolling and voting:
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech/communication difficulty please:
People in the early stages of dementia who still understand the purpose and process of enrolling and voting may continue to participate in elections. If people require information to enrol and vote, the AEC provides a range of ‘Easy read guides’.
Further information for people with dementia and their carers is available via this link.
The AEC acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.