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Two disability groups have labelled the general election voting system “inaccessible” and say it compromises disabled New Zealanders’ right to a confidential vote.

New Zealand’s voting system is super easy to use for most people, but for those with a disability, it can be a real challenge.

Blind Low Vision NZ and Access Matters Aotearoa have urged the Government to develop accessible electronic voting options for Kiwis.

Access Matters Aotearoa lead campaigner Juliana Carvalho said it was a “violation of rights” for those who are blind as they don’t have the ability to cast a strictly anonymous vote.

��“What I’ve been hearing from the blind community is that really, really bothers people not be able to cast their vote independently,” Carvalho said

“It is a violation of your rights to not be able to vote independently.

“If you’re not fully able to participate in what I would say the most important feature of the democracy, which is there is the capacity and the ability and the power to vote, then it becomes really hard, to fully participate.

“And so it’s another right that is in a sense denied.”

Carvalho said although the Electoral Commission has taken massive strides towards accessibility, she pointed to systems that other countries have in place to show it is possible for those who are blind to be able to vote independently.

In her home country of Brazil, there were machines with headphones and textile audible sensitivity on the vote terminal keyboard. Carvalho said this is something our Electoral Commission could look into.

She also felt there had been a lack of access during the campaign season.

“All the information that the parties are putting out there, the policies, all the advertisements, everything else is that information available for all New Zealanders? I don’t think so,” Carvalho said.

“Is there a description in the campaigning?”

“It’s a New Zealand language, sign language is, you know, is there easy read for people who have learning disabilities and also have the right to vote?

“Yeah, things can be improved, you know, things can always be improved.”

Voting is open now for all eligible New Zealanders in the country and overseas. Millions of people are yet to receive their EasyVote cards – an issue the Prime Minister has called “not acceptable” - but you are still able to vote without the card.

Or, if location services are enabled, click on the����icon to go to your current location - this can take a moment.

You can vote at any voting place. But voting will be faster at your electorates voting places.

A voting place marked with a����icon supports easy voting for neighbouring electorates. Click on a voting place icon for details.

The map shows both��general��and��Māori��electorate boundaries.

Yesterday, the Electoral Commission said����and around 2 million had already been delivered. Chris Hipkins said the commission had “one job … to run a successful election” and “being this far into the election and having that many New Zealanders not have an EasyVote card - and therefore believing they can’t vote because they don’t have it - isn’t acceptable.”

��If you are not enrolled, or need to update your enrolment details, you can do this on the day you vote at the voting station. You can read more about the key policies of the country’s top six polling political parties��.

Hundreds of thousands of people have already cast their votes so far. As of October 4, 204, 191 people had voted. Around 58,000 voted on the first day voting was open (Monday) and around 70,000 people voted on Tuesday and Wednesday. This does not include special votes or overseas votes.

This is fewer people than at this point in the previous election, however, that election was held during Covid when people were strongly encouraged to vote early given the unpredictability of Covid-19 and the possibility of another lockdown.

Alternative voting options include the option of bringing a support person with you who can go behind the screen with you, read the words and information on your voting paper and market the voting papers, if you want them to.

This person can be a friend, family member or electoral official.

There will be sign language interpreters at three locations although the hours of operation are limited.

• Auckland – Auckland Deaf Society (16 Hillsborough Rd, Hillsborough): October 6, 4pm and 7pm
• Wellington – Ākau Tangi Sports Centre (72 Kemp St, Kilbirnie): Election Day, October 14, 9am-7pm
• Christchurch – Deaf Society of Canterbury: 80 Fitzgerald Ave, Christchurch Central City: October 13, 5-7:30pm

There is also the option of voting through the telephone dictation service. This service is for people who are blind, partially blind or have a physical disability that prevents them from marking their voting papers without help.

If you would like to use the service,��, even if you have used the service in previous elections, by midday on election day, October 14.

Carvalho was also concerned about access for those who use a wheelchair such as herself, as she had difficulty the last time she voted. There was an accessible car park, but no ramp at her nearest voting station, so four people had to help her inside.

Anusha Guler, Deputy Chief Executive of operations for the electoral commission said for the 2023 general election, 94 per cent of voting places are either fully or partially accessible. Voting places that are not accessible are only used if there is no alternative.

Fully accessible means there is independent access to and within the building. Partially accessible means there may be a step or steep ramp.

Julia Gabel is an Auckland-based journalist who largely covers data stories. She joined the Herald in 2020.

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