Your vote counts - exercising your right to vote

Voting – it’s how you have your say about who you want to represent you in local, state/territory or federal politics.

You have the right to vote and your vote counts, so it’s important you’re prepared well before election day. It’s compulsory that everyone who’s eligible enrols to vote and votes on election day (or through another means). It’s also important to be enrolled well before an election so you’re eligible to vote when the time comes.

Depending on your accessibility needs, you might want to explore different options for enrolling to vote and voting.

The Australian Electoral Commission – responsible for federal elections in Australia – has a range of options that people with disability may wish to use, including:

• Information about how to enrol to vote
• Information about accessibility at different polling places
• Help voting at a polling place
• Postal votes – receiving ballot papers in the mail and sending them back
• Information for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or have low vision, or people with dementia

Victorians are the next group of voters heading to the polls – the Victorian state election will be held on 6 November. For general information about voting and accessibility in Victoria, go here.

In the 2022 federal election, all voters were able to vote in person, either early or on election day, or apply for a postal vote. The same will be the case in the Victorian state election, and some voters may be able to vote by post for all upcoming state/territory and federal elections.

In Victoria, there will be options for phone voting, and voting onsite at some hospitals, community centres, aged care facilities and homelessness support agencies, and voters may also apply for a Braille voting pack.

For other states/territories, look up your local Electoral Commission website or talk to someone who may be able to support you to find more information – it’s all part of living in a democracy!