Accessibility at polling stations
The voting process should be accessible to all voters. We offer a range of support for voters with disabilities to enable them to vote independently or with assistance.
The Elections Act 2022 introduces changes to further assist disabled voters at polling stations.
If you are a voter with a disability or require additional support to complete a ballot paper on your own, you can now take a friend or relative to the polling station to help you. They do not have to be eligible to vote and will not need to bring their photo ID. However, they will need to be over 18 years old. Our polling station staff will also be able to help you. Polling station staff or your companion can help you in a number of ways such as reading out the candidates’ names and their descriptions printed on the ballot paper. They must not tell you how you vote, as that is your decision only.
If you do not wish to vote in person at a polling station, you can vote by post or by proxy.
To help make polling stations accessible we will ensure:
- Polling stations are wheelchair accessible, and ramps are provided where needed
- Polling booths are adapted for wheelchair users
- Large print versions of ballot papers and Tactile Voting Devices are in each polling station, to enable voters with a visual impairment to mark their ballot paper(s) independently
- We provide large magnifiers and pencil grips
- Polling stations have adequate lighting and we provide extra lighting where required
- Polling station staff wear badges so that they are easy to identify
Guidance for voters with a learning disability
You can view easy read guides about:
- voter ID and how to apply for the voter ID certificate
- how to vote in person
- how to register for postal voting
- how to register for proxy voting.
Guidance for voters who are partially sighted, blind or deaf
RNIB website - Voting and elections: what you need to know.
The Electoral Commission have produced British Sign Language (BSL) videos about:
- how to register to vote
- which forms of ID you can use to vote
- applying for a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC)
- what will happen at the polling station
Please note these videos are currently referring to elections held in May 2023, but they will be updated in the run up to any future elections.
The processes for registering to vote, what forms of ID you can use, applying for a VAC and what will happen at the polling station will still be the same.
Ways to register
Online
You can register online on the GOV.UK website.
By telephone
In certain circumstances the Electoral Services Team can assist residents to register over the phone.
Call 020 7361 3444 with your:
- National Insurance number
- date of birth