Help voting for you and your disabled child

2 mins read

Tuesday 29 April 2025

This Thursday, local elections are taking place in 23 councils and for six mayors in England. There is also a Westminster by-election in Runcorn and Helsby, in Cheshire.

You can find out if there are elections in your area on the Electoral Commission’s website.

It’s important that disabled people and their carers vote if they can. Local councillors make decisions about services that families need, such as school transport and short breaks (respite). These are services that have also been under pressure due to council budget pressures.

Accessible polling stations 

Polling stations must be accessible to disabled people. This means that reasonable adjustments to the premises must be made where necessary.

All polling stations must have a voting device to help blind or partially-sighted people vote unassisted and at least one large print version of the ballot paper. You can take your phone into the polling booth to use magnifier or text-to-speech apps. You can use your phone’s torch to improve lighting.

Anyone who is disabled or unable to read is allowed to bring a companion into the ballot booth to help them vote. The companion must be over 18. You can also ask for help from the Presiding Officer at the polling station.

Postal voting

If you’ve registered to vote by post, you must make sure that you post your ballot paper in time. Your ballot papers should let you know when to post it by.

Don’t worry if you do miss the post – you can hand it into your local Electoral Registation Office or bring it to your local polling station by 10pm on polling day.

Need more help?

My Vote My Voice has an easy read guide on voting for disabled people, including a My Voting Passport to fill in detailing your child’s needs.