Voters with Disabilities—Check Out Your Voting Options at Elections Canada to try to Avoid Disability Barriers to Voting

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

 

Voters with Disabilities—Check Out Your Voting Options at Elections Canada to try to Avoid Disability Barriers to Voting

 

April 5, 2025

 

SUMMARY

 

It is essential in a democracy that all eligible voters are able to vote using a secret ballot and verify their choice. Voters with disabilities in Canada cannot take that right for granted. Elections Canada is the independent federal agency responsible for administering federal elections. Don’t assume Elections Canada operates federal elections the very same way that Elections Ontario runs provincial elections, as far as voters with disabilities are concerned.

 

Elections Canada’s website commits:

 

“We make every effort to make voting as accessible as possible and to engage electors with disabilities as we develop and implement our services. Our research shows that electors with disabilities face barriers to participating in elections, and we are continuously striving to remove these barriers. By building on the initiatives we already have in place, our goal is to continue improving the accessibility of the electoral process.”

 

Elections Canada’s website also recognizes:

 

“there are four priority groups that face barriers to participating in elections: First Nations, Metis and Inuit electors, people with disabilities, youth and new Canadians.”

 

 

Don’t take accessible voting for granted. We caution all voters with disabilities to take pro-active steps now to try to avoid as many disability barriers as possible when you vote in the upcoming April 28, 2025 federal election:

  • Make sure you are registered to vote. Go to the Elections Canada website or call Elections Canada to look into this.
  • Try if possible to vote at an advance poll before voting Day. If you are not able to due to disability barriers, you at least have the option to come back later and try again. If you go to vote only on April 28, 2025, and run into insurmountable barriers, you won’t be able to come back another day to try again. Contact Elections Canada to find out when and where you can vote at an advance poll.
  • Check out your polling location to make sure it is disability-accessible.
  • Explore Elections Canada’s voting options for voters with disabilities.

 

Below is an excerpt from Elections Canada’s website describing what it offers for voters with disabilities.

 

Excerpt from Elections Canadas Website

 

Originally posted at https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=spe&document=index&lang=e

 

 

Accessibility services offered by Elections Canada

 

We offer several services before, during and after elections to support the equal participation of electors with disabilities.

 

Community relations officers for accessibility Voter information in accessible formats

Polling place accessibility

Accessibility tools and services at the polls

Advisory Group for Disability Issues

Inspire Democracy

Voter Information Campaign

 

Elections Canada is currently reviewing and updating its accessibility policy and service offering.

This document describes our commitment to identifying, preventing and removing barriers to voting. It also lists the tools and services that are available to people with disabilities when they vote in federal elections.

Community relations officers for accessibility

During general elections, we deploy a network of more than 2,000 community relations officers across the country to help improve access and reduce barriers to voting, including community relations officers specifically focused on accessibility.

The responsibilities of our community relations officers include:

 

  • Increasing election awareness
  • Providing information on where, when and the ways to register and vote
  • Explaining the benefits of registering in advance
  • Providing information on voter identification requirements, assistive voting tools and information available in alternate formats
  • Verifying accessibility of polling locations and ensuring that they meet accessibility standards
  • Acting as a resource for the central poll supervisor (CPS) to resolve any accessibility issues that may arise on polling day(s)
  • Assisting the returning officer (RO) with initial fact finding on issues reported on accessibility feedback forms during advance polling days, and advising the RO of findings

 

Voter information in accessible formats

Key information about registering and voting is available online, in print and in the following alternative formats upon request:

 

  • Large print
  • Braille
  • Audio CD and files (i.e. DAISY)
  • Full transcription
  • Captioning
  • ASL and LSQ videos
  • Multiple Indigenous and ethnocultural languages

 

 

Polling place accessibility

 

Using the polling place suitability checklist ensures that potential polling places are evaluated for accessibility before the election. Of the 37 accessibility criteria on the checklist, 15 are mandatory.

A polling place is considered suitable when it reaches a balance among the following three key principles:

  • Accessibility: The highest suitability priority is that polling places provide barrier-free access for persons with disabilities. Subsection 121(1) of the Canada Elections Act requires polling places to have level access. Elections Canada has also established additional mandatory accessibility criteria based on human rights principles.
  • Proximity: Whenever possible, electors should be assigned a polling place that is within reasonable distance from their ordinary residence.
  • Familiarity: Whenever possible, electors should be assigned a polling place that they are likely to recognize because it has been used for another service to the public or in previous municipal, provincial, territorial or federal elections.

 

If a returning officer (RO) cannot lease a polling place that meets the mandatory criteria, they must consider whether steps can be taken to mitigate accessibility issues. For example, they could post staff at the door if their polling place does not have an automatic door opener.

If the RO is unable to fully resolve accessibility issues by implementing appropriate mitigations, they must get authorization from the Chief Electoral Officer before they can proceed with signing a lease for a polling place that does not meet the mandatory accessibility criteria. The Directive on Accessibility Exemptions when Selecting a Suitable Polling Place outlines the steps ROs must take in order to get the authorization to use a location that does not meet the mandatory accessibility criteria.

During elections, you can find out if your polling place meets your accessibility needs by:

 

  • Entering your postal code in our Voter Information Service,
  • Calling us at 1-800-463-6868 or 1-800-361-8935 (TTY), or
  • Checking your voter information card, which is mailed to every registered elector.

 

Elections Canada offers additional methods of voting that do not require travelling to your polling place. Electors can:

  • Vote in another accessible location in your electoral district with a transfer certificate. Contact your local Elections Canada office for more information.
  • Vote at a local Elections Canada office (which must have the same mandatory criteria for accessibility).
  • Vote by mail using a special ballot.

 

1Accessibility tools and services at the polls

There are many services and tools available at polling places to help electors with disabilities vote, and election officers are trained to help.

The services offered include:

  • Assistance marking a ballot
  • Sign language interpretation (must be requested in advance)
  • Vouching
  • Signature guides (if someone needs assistance signing their name)

 

The tools to help electors vote include:

 

  • Large-print and braille lists of candidates (braille only available on election day)
  • Tactile and braille voting templates
  • Magnifiers
  • Large-grip pencils
  • Voting screens that let in more light

 

 

Inspire Democracy

Inspire Democracy is an Elections Canada program that works with stakeholders to reduce barriers to electoral participation. Our research has shown that

there are four priority groups that face barriers to participating in elections: First Nations, Metis and Inuit electors, people with disabilities, youth and new Canadians. Inspire Democracy gives

tools for engaging with community leaders and organizations that represent these communities.