Accessibility at polling stations

Further information for disabled voters visiting our polling stations. 

Polling stations

All polling stations are accessible.

If you can see on your poll card or using the polling station finder that your polling station is a temporary building, please contact your Elections team or call 01942 827168 to find out more about the accessibility of the building.

Some polling stations may have temporary ramps to assist with entering and leaving the building.

Parking and disabled parking may be provided if it is available at the polling station.

Signage

All polling stations have a large Polling Station sign attached outside.

Additional signage may also be used to provide clear directions outside and / or inside the building.

Polling station staff

Polling station staff will be wearing ID badges showing their role

If you have any questions or need any help, please ask a member of polling station staff. They can help with questions about voter ID and voting.

Polling station equipment

The following equipment will be provided in your polling station.

  • Polling booths to allow you to cast your vote in secret, including a polling booth which is accessible to wheelchair users
  • A screen, private area or separate room if you want to show your photographic voter ID in private
  • Appropriate / additional lighting
  • A seat for your use if needed
  • Pencils including large chunky pencils and those with pencil grips for you to mark your ballot paper
  • You can bring you own pencil or pen if you would prefer
  • Magnifiers to increase the size of text on the ballot paper.

Assistance with voting

  • A large sample copy of the ballot paper will be displayed in your polling station and a sample hand held copy will be available for you to take into the polling booth to use if needed
  • A tactile voting device to assist visually impaired voters to mark their vote on a ballot paper will be available
  • You may use any specialist devices or Apps in the polling station that assist you to cast your vote independently. For example, speech apps, video magnifiers
  • You may take your assistance animal with you into the polling station
  • You can also ask the Presiding Officer for assistance, if needed. This includes asking the Presiding Officer to mark the ballot paper for you. The Presiding Officer will need to complete a form to record they have assisted you to vote
  • You may bring a companion with you to help you cast your vote. The companion must be aged 18 or over (but the companion does not need to be registered to vote). A companion can only assist up to two people at the same local election. The Presiding Officer will need to complete a form where a companion assists a disabled voter, and the companion must sign a simple declaration.

Requesting additional support

If you are a disabled voter and require additional support which is not listed, you can contact your Elections Team to see if they can help. It may be possible to provide other equipment, for example, a hearing loop on request.

It is also possible to request your Poll card in large print or another format if required.

Information available in the Polling Stations

In polling stations the following legal notices will be available:

How to Vote at this election – displayed inside and outside the polling station (this includes a pictorial guide).

A notice containing the accepted forms of photographic ID that a voter needs to produce - displayed inside the polling station.

Notice on how to mark the ballot paper at this election - displayed inside each polling booth.

Please contact the Elections Team if you require information in any other languages.

Poll cards

British sign language videos

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