Picture this. You show up to cast your vote — a moment that’s supposed to be private, empowering, and equal. But instead, you're told you can’t do it alone. Worse than that, the system doesn't allow you to do it alone. Someone else has to read the ballot. Someone else has to mark the boxes. Someone else has to witness your choices. That’s not voting. That’s supervision. This is the experience of blind and vision impaired Australians every single election.
 While others take their democracy in stride — tick the boxes, cast the ballot, walk away — we’re forced to rely on strangers, friends, or support workers just to be heard. And while telephone voting exists, it still requires a witness and forces us to speak our vote aloud to another person, removing any real sense of privacy or independence. That’s not a solution. That’s a workaround. And a poor one at that.

If Other Countries Can Do It, Why Can't We? Accessible voting is not an impossible dream — it’s already happening all around the world:
Ghana has offered tactile ballot guides since 2004, giving blind voters the ability to cast their vote independently.
 South Africa uses Universal Ballot Templates co-designed with blind communities, allowing private and accurate voting.
Cameroon trains poll workers in disability access and inclusion, including how to assist blind voters with respect.
The UK has tested tactile and audio devices to guide blind voters through ballots without assistance.
Ireland provides accessible voting packs tailored to blind and vision impaired voters, giving them dignity and independence.
Even here in Australia, New South Wales once led the way. From 2011 to 2021,iVote allowed blind and low-vision people to vote securely online or by phone — without a witness. In 2019, more than 1,100 blind or vision-impaired people used it, with 94% preferring the online option. But after a technical issue in a local council election, iVote was suspended for 2023 — and blind Australians were left with nothing but apologies and worse-than-before options. If countries across Africa and Europe can make it work, and if NSW once led the nation, why are the rest of us being forced backwards?

What We’re Asking For:

This isn’t about convenience. It’s about equity. We’re not asking for more than others. We’re asking for the same.

1. The Right to Vote Independently and Accessibly We want to cast our own vote — privately, securely, and without another person needing to do it for us. That is the bare minimum any democracy should offer.

2. Real, Functional Options That Work for Us. We need voting systems that are co-designed with blind and vision impaired Australians — not just assumptions about what we might want. What this looks like: 
* Secure online voting options that work with screen readers.
* Tactile voting templates in all polling places.
* Large print ballot papers available for voters with low vision.
* Staff who are trained to assist respectfully and properly — or even better, systems that allow us to vote without needing assistance at all.
3. Representation in the Room. We want a seat at the table with decision-makers at every level — from the AEC to technology providers. And not just one voice. We need representation across all levels of vision impairment. One person or advocacy organisation does not speak for all of us.

4. Secure, Tamper-Proof Voting. Pencils can be erased. Mistakes — or worse — can be made. If you're asking us to trust others to mark our votes, the very least you can do is make sure the method can't be tampered with. We need secure, traceable systems that protect our votes.

Why It Matters

Voting is a cornerstone of democracy. And right now, for blind and vision impaired Australians, that cornerstone is cracked. We’re tired of being told to "make do" with systems that silence our voices, violate our privacy, and rely on others to complete what should be an individual right. We know it’s possible to do better — because other places already are.
Now it’s time for Australia to catch up.

And to the politicians reading this, we ask:
What if it was your mum, your brother, your child who was blind? How would they vote for you? How would they support your campaign or your vision if they can’t even cast a vote independently? What if you were blind? How would you feel handing your vote over to someone else, every election? Would you still feel empowered? Or would you feel erased?

This isn’t hypothetical. This is happening — to thousands of Australians. Every. Single. Time. We’re not invisible. We are voters.
And we are done being left behind. It’s time to build a voting system where blind and vision impaired Australians can vote independently — with dignity, privacy, and full democratic rights. Sign this petition. Stand with us. Make it count.