Accessibility at Elections

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Everyone should be able to register and cast their vote without facing barriers. They should be able to vote on their own and in secret. The Elections Act 2022 introduces changes to further assist voters at polling stations.

Polling places will be open from 7am to 10pm. If there’s a queue, you’ll still be able vote as long as you joined it before 10pm.

What’s new

Voters who require reasonable adjustments will be able to choose anyone who is over 18 to accompany them in the polling station to help them vote. 

You can also ask the person in charge of the polling station, known as the Presiding Officer to help you fill in your ballot paper. They are legally bound by the Requirement for Secrecy and your vote will remain secret.

We will also take all reasonable steps to support voters to improve the range and quality of support.

Audio Ballot Papers

As well as our polling places having equipment and support options available to support blind and visually impaired voters who wish to vote in person, we have spoken ballot papers.

You can find the spoken ballot papers for Dundee City East, Dundee City West and the North East Region ballot paper.

You can click the following links to hear the ballot papers:

Dundee City East Constituency Ballot Paper

Dundee City West Constituency Ballot Paper

North East Region Ballot Paper. 

 You can also call our election team during office hours and they will  read out the ballot paper to you. Call 01382 434444

Guide for blind or partially sighed voters

Download our Guide for blind or partially sighted voters (Word document).

The Electoral Management Board for Scotland has a video on how to support voters with visual impairment. While primarily aimed at polling staff, it gives a good overview of the support for visually impaired voters in polling stations.

RNIB also has information on their website about

Accessing the polling station

  • all polling stations are visited and assessed in advance in terms of accessibility
  • temporary ramps are put in place to support access for voters who use a wheelchair or have difficulty using steps
  • where possible polling stations are identified which have car parking provision so that voters who require reasonable adjustments may park as close as possible to the station
  • service animals/ assistance dogs are permitted.

Information for voters

To help voters understand the voting process and how to mark their ballot paper the following are provided at each polling station

  • a notice inside the polling station providing instructions on how to vote at the election
  • a notice in each polling booth providing information on how to mark the ballot paper at the election
  • large print sample copies of the ballot paper displayed inside the polling station to assist voters who are partially sighted and also voters who would like some time to look at the ballot paper before entering the polling booth
  • an enlarged hand-held copy of the ballot paper. This can be given to voters who are partially sighted to take into the polling booth for reference when marking their ballot paper.

Support within the polling station

Every polling station will have the following equipment and support in place

  • chair/seating for voters who cannot stand for long periods
  • support aids like braille overlays, coloured overlays and oversized ballot papers
  • magnifiers to increase the size of the text on a document
  • additional lighting
  • tactile voting device to support those visually impaired to mark their vote on the ballot paper in the correct place
  • polling booth at wheelchair level to ensure voters who use a wheelchair are able to access a lower writing surface and cast their vote in secret in a booth that is accessible
  • badges which clearly identify polling station staff who can assist
  • pencil grips to help voters with dexterity impairments to more easily hold and use a pencil independently
  • additional staff at entrances/exits at polling stations particularly where doors are required to remain shut - for example, fire doors.

In addition to the above, the Returning Officer also allows voters who require reasonable adjustments to use any text-to-speech apps, torch or magnifier that they have on their phone, to assist them in reading their ballot paper.

In a limited number of places due to the lack of suitable buildings, temporary mobiles have to be used as polling stations. Due to limitations, we encourage voters to ask staff for assistance if necessary, such as seating.

Ask for additional support

If you would like to make a request before polling day for any additional support or reasonable adjustments not listed, please email the Election Office at ero@dundeecity.gov.uk or call 01382 434444 to see if we can help.

Guides for voters with a learning disability

You can view easy read guides about:

You can view British Sign Language (BSL) videos about:

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