Voting at a polling station Most people said that they are happy with voting at the polling station, but it can be made better. We have heard of times when someone with a disability has not been able to vote. They have gone to the polling station and been sent away or they have not been able to get in. Other people said that voting at their polling station made them feel uncomfortable. Getting into the polling station Polling stations are more accessible than they used to be, but there are still some polling stations that are not accessible. Some people get in. can’t Our bigger survey found that 5% of people with a disability said it was hard for them to get into the polling station. No one without a disability said it was difficult. experience: What could be done to make it [the polling station] People’s better and more accessible for you? from M.E. and walk with crutches. The polling station had steps at “I suffer the doorway to get in and then more steps leading to the room being used for the election. There was no sign of any disabled access.” lucky in that my local polling station is accessible, and that if it weren't I “I am can independently complete a postal vote, but many of my friends can't Whilst postal voting is an important and valuable access their local stations. option (especially for those with mental health issues) the feeling of casting a vote into an actual ballot box should be open and accessible to everyone.” Inside the polling station Accessibility is not just about getting into the polling station and it is not only about people with a disability. People with different disabilities ‘visible’ have problems once they are inside. Some people find it hard to move around inside the polling station. Some people find it hard to fill in their ballot paper. experience: What could be done to make voting better for you? People’s is nothing to help autistic people know that places are accessible for “There us too. For example warnings about flickering lighting, huge machinery noise in a space. Only people who get written guidance are wheelchair users, Blind, Deaf or Learning Disabled. 2 million autistic people get nothing written for us. And most staff know how to help autism, only LD {learning don’t a different disability}. It’s thing.” Here are some things people told us about why it was difficult for them to vote when they were inside their polling station. They said:
Voting at a polling station Most people said that they are happy with voting at the polling station, but it can be made better. We have heard of times when someone with a disability has not been able to vote. They have gone to the polling station and been sent away or they have not been able to get in. Other people said that voting at their polling station made them feel uncomfortable. Getting into the polling station Polling stations are more accessible than they used to be, but there are still some polling stations that are not accessible. Some people can’t get in. Our bigger survey found that 5% of people with a disability said it was hard for them to get into the polling station. No one without a disability said it was difficult. People’s experience: What could be done to make it [the polling station] better and more accessible for you? “I suffer from M.E. and walk with crutches. The polling station had steps at the doorway to get in and then more steps leading to the room being used for the election. There was no sign of any disabled access.” “I am lucky in that my local polling station is accessible, and that if it weren't I can independently complete a postal vote, but many of my friends can't access their local stations. Whilst postal voting is an important and valuable option (especially for those with mental health issues) the feeling of casting a vote into an actual ballot box should be open and accessible to everyone.” Inside the polling station Accessibility is not just about getting into the polling station and it is not only about people with a ‘visible’ disability. People with different disabilities have problems once they are inside. Some people find it hard to move around inside the polling station. Some people find it hard to fill in their ballot paper. People’s experience: What could be done to make voting better for you? “There is nothing to help autistic people know that places are accessible for us too. For example warnings about flickering lighting, huge machinery noise in a space. Only people who get written guidance are wheelchair users, Blind, Deaf or Learning Disabled. 2 million autistic people get nothing written for us. And most staff don’t know how to help autism, only LD {learning disability}. It’s a different thing.” Here are some things people told us about why it was difficult for them to vote when they were inside their polling station. They said:
Accessibility-report-call-for-evidence.docx