Voting accessibility for parents with disabled tamariki

Help is available!

The Aotearoa general election will be held on Saturday, 14 October 2023, and special voting starts on Monday 2 October.

If you’re concerned about voting and managing the needs of your disabled, medically fragile and/or neurodivergent tamariki - help is available. Here’s an accessibility guide.

Often it’s easier to vote ahead of the election if you have high needs kids and you need to avoid queues. Voting opens 2 October so you have almost two weeks to vote.

To enrol and vote, you must be 18 years or older, a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and have lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months or more at some time in your life. You can check to see if you’re enrolled or update your details here.

When is the best time to vote?

If you’d prefer to vote when it’s quieter, or if you may need assistance, the best times to vote are typically between 9am – 11am and 2pm – 4pm, Monday to Friday.

Voting ahead of election day on 14 October is a good idea. Election day is usually the busiest day to vote.

Voting is quicker if you vote in the area where you live. However, if you're away from where you usually live, you can vote at the nearest voting place.

What if I can’t get to a voting place?

If you can’t get to a voting place, and don't have someone who can collect your voting papers for you, contact your electorate manager.

It may be possible for voting papers to be dropped off or delivered to you, and then collected from you. Contact your electorate manager.

Can I get help with voting?

Yes! You absolutely can get help with voting. You can authorise someone to pick up your voting papers from a voting place for you.

You can download a form which you can sign and ask someone to take to a voting place for you. They will then bring back your voting papers to complete.

Can my child’s carer or a support person help them vote if they’re over 18?

If you need help to read or mark your voting papers, a friend, family member or electoral official can be your support person.

Your support person can:

• Go behind the voting screen with you

• Read out the words and information on your voting papers

• Mark the voting papers for you if you ask them to

My child is in a care home, can they vote?

Yes! If you are in a care home your local Electorate Manager will contact the manager of your care home to arrange voting services. Make sure this is done ahead of the election date.

Can I vote from hospital if my child is in hospital?

Yes, you can vote from hospital - If you can’t get to a voting place because you are in hospital, a friend or family member can bring you your voting papers. If your child is scheduled to go into hospital prior to election day, it’s best to vote in advance from 2 October if you can.

Can I vote by phone?

If you’re blind, partially blind or have a physical disability that means you can’t mark your voting papers without help, you can vote using the telephone dictation service. You need to register to use this service in the 2023 General Election, even if you’ve used it at previous elections. Do that here.

How do I vote from overseas?

If you’re overseas - You can vote from overseas from Wednesday 27 September until 7pm, Saturday 14 October (NZ time). The best way to vote from overseas is to download your voting papers, complete them, then upload them. You’ll be able to download your voting papers from Wednesday 27 September. You can also be able to vote in person at an overseas voting place.

Where do I vote?

Find a voting place near you here. You can find voting places on a map or look them up in a list. The times and dates that voting places are open may vary. Please check the hours of your chosen voting place before you go to vote.

All voting places that are open on election day, Saturday 14 October, will be open from 9am to 7pm.

How do I know if my local voting place is accessible?

When you choose the list option for finding your nearest voting place here - you can tick the box that says “Fully accessible voting places only”.

Each voting place has to state its accessibility status e.g. “Accessibility status: May have step, steep ramp etc.”

Can I ring someone for help?

Yes! You can call 0800 36 76 56 for more information about where to vote and how to vote. They cannot tell you who to vote for. That’s up to you.

Who do I vote for?

Check out Disabled Persons Assembly NZ and CCS Disability Action’s election disability scorecard here to see how all the political parties in Aotearoa support our community. Autism NZ also has a Prepare to Vote pop-up event in Petone.