All voters have a right to vote independently and in secret. A person who is registered to vote or who has been officially appointed as a proxy voter cannot be refused a ballot paper or the opportunity to vote on the grounds of mental or physical incapacity.
Polling station staff must ensure that disabled voters are not offered a lower standard of service than other voters and the following information sets out the range of assistance that is available to disabled voters wishing to vote in person at a polling station.
Assistance to vote
If you have a disability that prevents you from completing a ballot paper on your own or you need support, you may take a relative to the polling station to assist you to vote. Your companion must be a close relative (father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, civil partner; son or daughter if they are aged 18 years or over). Before assisting you, your companion must complete a simple companion declaration form at the polling station to indicate that they have recorded the vote truly and faithfully – please ask the Presiding Officer at your polling station about this.
You can also ask the Presiding Officer to assist you at the polling station. Presiding Officers are legally bound by the Requirement for Secrecy, your vote will remain secret. If you know which candidate you wish to vote for, you must instruct the Presiding Officer, in the privacy of the polling booth, to mark the ballot paper(s) on your behalf.
Additional equipment in polling stations
As far as reasonable and practicable, accessibility needs of electors have been considered, with providing equipment and reasonable adjustments as follows:
- Disabled parking and ramps for easy access
- Wheelchair access booths and voting booth positioned in such a way to capture best lighting
- Chairs for people who cannot stand for long periods
- An accessibility voting pack which contains pencil grips, large copies of the ballot paper, Tactile voting devices for people with a visual impairment, magnify glass, and any other equipment where possible to improve accessibility.
Any disability aids that the voter usually uses e.g. mobile phone app for text to speech may also be used at the polling station to assist with voting.
In recognising not all disabilities are visible, those who may struggle with noise or crowded spaces may prefer to attend at polling stations when they may be less busy. Generally polling stations are quiet between 7am to 9am, 1pm to 2pm, and 8pm to 10pm.
Ask for additional support
In reviewing the support available, if you feel that additional equipment would enable you to vote independently then we would welcome you to make a request before polling day. Please email the Election Office at elections@argyll-bute.gov.uk or call 01546 603264 to see if we can help.
Guides for voters with a learning disability
You can view easy read guides about:
- what your vote does
- your rights
- how to register to vote
- 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
You can view British Sign Language (BSL) videos about:
- how to register to vote - BSL Video
- which forms of ID you can use to vote - BSL Video
- applying for a Voter Authority Certificate - BSL Video
- what will happen at the polling station - BSL Video
Contact Scotland BSL is Scotland’s national British Sign Language video interpreting relay service (VRS) available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for all Scottish Callers
The Electoral Commission also have some created versions of some of the guidance documents referred to within this page in accessible formats such as braille, audit or large print. For more information, please visit the Electoral Commission Website: Resources for Support Specific Groups
Digital Accessibility
Simple 'how to' guides to make your device easier to use | My Computer My Way
