Public and Commercial Services Union

The information on this page was sent out to disabled members as a briefing prior to the general election in 2010.

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PCS strongly encourages all of its members to exercise their democratic right to vote. But what if you can’t get through the door of your polling station or can’t see the ballot paper?

If you would prefer to have a postal vote, that’s fine. It’s your choice. However, your local authority must take steps to ensure that its polling stations don’t disadvantage disabled people – and those steps don’t include recommending you request a postal vote!

Scope’s Polls Apart is a very informative campaign which tells you what you’re entitled to and what you can do if you don’t get it.

We’ve reproduced the text from one of their fact sheets below.

Polling station staff must ensure that disabled voters are not offered a lower standard of service than other voters and should be able to explain what assistance is available to disabled voters wishing to vote in person at a polling station.

Disabled voters are also entitled to:

The right to request assistance to mark the ballot paper

Disabled voters may request the assistance of the Presiding Officer to mark the ballot paper for them. Alternatively, they can bring someone with them to help them vote (this person must be an immediate family member over 18 years old or a qualified elector).

Tactile voting device

This is a plastic device that is fixed onto the ballot paper so visually impaired people or those with limited dexterity can mark their ballot paper in secret.

Large-print version of the ballot paper

A large-print version of the ballot paper should be clearly displayed inside the polling station and a copy can be given to voters to take with them into the polling booth. A voter can’t vote on the large-print version, but it can be used for reference.

Assistance to electors unable to gain access to the polling station

If an elector is unable to enter the polling station because of physical disability, the Presiding Officer may take the ballot paper to the elector.

If you have any problems on election day, you should call your local authority to try to resolve this.

You can also call the Electoral Commission on 020 7271 0592 or 020 7271 0728 for further guidance.

However, if you don’t find out until election day itself that the voting process hasn’t been made accessible to you, you risk not being able to vote at all.

The Polls Apart website lets you look up the polling stations in your constituency and check whether your local authority has provided information about how accessible they are.

If

• the information isn’t there, and
• you are in any doubt about whether you’ll be able to use the polling station the website also provides a template letter you can send to your local authority, firmly requesting that the information be made available to you as a matter of urgency.

Please use your vote.