Voting Support for the Vision Impaired
With the state election on Saturday 17 March, Resthaven Community Services offers vision support services for people aged over 65 who would like assistance to vote.
The Electoral Commission SA has implemented a new computerised voting system called, ‘VoteAssist’, to support people with a vision impairment to vote.
From Tuesday 13 March to Friday 16 March, Resthaven can arrange transport and accompany eligible older people to attend one of the Royal Society for the Blind locations to vote using VoteAssist, which will be available at three Royal Society for the Blind (RSB) locations:
- 230 Pirie Street, Adelaide
- 27 Anderson Walk, Smithfield
- 58 Dyson Road, Noarlunga Downs
VoteAssist is designed to be accessible to electors with no vision and uses specially designed computer terminals with large monitors, coupled with headphones and a numeric keypad. The terminals display the ballot papers and the preferences as they are entered.
Audio prompts guide the elector through the voting process. Once an elector has completed their ballots, the audio prompt will confirm the preferences and then print the ballot papers. A ballot box will be situated on the table next to the keypad. The elector folds the ballot papers and inserts them into a declaration envelope. The envelope is then placed into the ballot box.
Sue McKechnie, Resthaven Executive Manager Community Services, says ‘The fabulous advantage of this is that people can be completely independent and private in their vote rather than relying on others to follow instructions to assist them with their vote.’
If you would like Resthaven to support you, call our friendly staff on 1300 13 66 33.
Resthaven works together with older people and their carers throughout metropolitan Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, Murraylands, Fleurieu, Barossa, Riverland and Limestone Coast of South Australia.