Voting is for Everyone – An electoral education resource for people living with a disability – 2010

Taking into account the upcoming State Election in New South Wales (March 26, 2011) and Queensland, Northern Territory and ACT elections occurring in 2012, people living with a disability should be aware of an electoral education resource.

In the lead up to the 2010 State Election, the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), in partnership with Scope Victoria, produced the Voting is For Everyone resource aimed at dispelling the myths around voting and disability.

In late 2009 a number of people with a disability participated in electoral education workshops at various Scope Victoria services. The workshops provided Scope service users with information about how government works, how the decisions our democratic representatives make affect our everyday lives, why it’s important to vote and how voting works.

At the workshop a few people, who had never voted before, decided they would like to have a go - so they enrolled to vote then and there. The 2010 Federal Election provided this group of people with their first opportunity to vote, shortly followed by the State Election in November.

After the workshop the VEC asked this group of people to take part in making a film about voting for people living with a disability, their carers and families. The group spent a lot of time helping the VEC make the film. One man who appears in the film talks about one of the issues that is important to him - accessibility of public transport – and why it’s important to have a say.

Since participating in the Voting is for Everyone project this group has become passionate advocates, encouraging people with a disability to vote and take part in the democratic life of Victoria.

View the Victorian Electoral Commission 'Voting is for Everyone' resource or contact Rhonda Joseph on (03) 9843 2069/0409 521 806 or Alex Markham (03) 9299 0599 at Scope Victoria.