Casting an anonymous ballot independently in any election is a fundamental right of every Australian. However, this may not be the case in all elections, given the NSW Electoral Commission’s decision to suspend iVote. Without the ability to use iVote (technology-assisted voting), members of the NSW blind and low vision community who need to use this system will be required to advise a telephone operator of their vote.
As Vision Australia’s lead policy adviser, Bruce Maguire puts it, this is “unacceptable” and a “significant step backwards” in voting rights.
Casting a vote via another person removes the anonymity of your vote and calls into question whether the vote you cast is the vote submitted. This was also the case before the introduction of iVote, when members of the blind and low vision community would need to ask a family member or friend to cast their ballot for them, again forcing them to disclose which party they were voting for.
The rationale the NSW Electoral Commission gave for the suspension of iVote is the problems with the system in the three NSW council elections in 2021. Understandably, there is apprehension about the system. What is harder to understand is not taking every measure possible to resolve these problems prior to the election or to find alternatives that allow members of the blind or low vision community to cast their ballot confidentially, independently and in a manner that is 100% verifiable.
As a member of the blind and low vision community, it is incredibly frustrating and disheartening to hear from my peers that this right is being stripped from them.
If the government suddenly announced that all Australians must use telephone voting to cast their ballot, there would be an immediate uproar and cries of privacy being breached. So why then is it acceptable for the government to simply say that because this system is not fit-for-purpose, a segment of the community must relinquish their right to privacy?
Similar issues lie in the lack of accessibility to apps such as COVIDSafe, developed by the federal government as an important tool in our bid to protect ourselves. When this app was launched, it became clear that those who were blind or had low vision were unable to use it due to accessibility flaws, as Vision Australia's Bruce Maguire again called attention to.
I am in a position where, at the moment, I do not need to use iVote. That said, I certainly find the process of voting challenging, particularly casting a below-the-line Senate ballot, given the number of parties involved and the sheer size of the ballot paper. Like many other areas of life, I struggle with reading material printed in tiny font, from restaurant menus to signs. However, the difference is that not casting my vote correctly has far more significant consequences. I am more reluctant to ask for help at the ballot - given how personal voting is - than I am to ask someone to read a menu or sign for me.
I take voting seriously. I see it as my civil duty and rarely disclose who I vote for. I find it inexplicable that I would ever be forced to share my vote with another person and trust that they are lodging my ballot accurately.
Living with disability brings with it innumerable challenges, but activities such as voting and using technology should not be one of them. It's imperative that every piece of technology, every practice and process we as Australians are asked to use, is accessible and created with universal design thinking. It's time for our governments to put accessibility at the forefront, not as an afterthought.
