Accessible voting
Learn about accessible voting options for general and local elections.
On this page
It’s important that everyone has the opportunity to cast their vote. Therefore, there are several ways that people with various disabilities can vote. Some of these methods involve extra paperwork and planning, so it’s best to get onto it as early as possible.
Voting in person – general elections
The most common way to vote in a general election is in person at a voting place. Voting places a set up in public places like schools, community centres, and libraries.
The law requires at least 12 voting places in an electorate (voting area) to be suitable or people with physical disabilities.
Voting place accessibility ratings
Each voting place is given an accessibility rating. The ratings are:
Fully accessible – these voting places are accessible by wheelchair and follow New Zealand building standards for accessibility. This includes things like handrails on both sides of ramps, doors at least 760mm wide, and a ramp with the necessary steepness (no steeper than a gradient of 1:12).
Partially accessible – people with physical disabilities might need some support when visiting these locations. For example, the venue might have one handrail instead of two or have a lip or threshold higher than 20mm.
No accessibility rating - these voting places can only be accessed via steps.
All fully and partially accessible voting places should have seated spaces for people to complete their vote or spaces to vote from their wheelchair.
If you have questions about access to specific voting places, you can contact your local electorate headquarters.
Finding a voting place
Voting place locations and their accessibility ratings will be published on the vote.nz website in the lead up to an election (early October for the 2026 election). Be sure to check their opening hours.
Avoiding crowds
Some voting places can be quite busy at certain times of the day. If you find busy environments challenging or you’d just prefer to go when it’s quieter, the Electoral Commission says the best times are usually between 9am-11am and 2pm-4pm, Monday to Friday during the advance voting period (before election day).
Voting with help from a support person
If you need help to read or fill in your voting paper, a friend, family member or someone working at a voting place can be your support person. They can fill in the voting paper for you if you ask them to, but they can’t tell you who you should vote for. At the end of the day, that’s still your decision.
Telephone voting
During general elections, there is a telephone dictation service available for blind, low vision, or physically disabled voters who are unable to mark their voting papers without assistance. This involves you telling an election worker your vote over the phone.
If sounds like the best option for you, just remember you need to register for this service each time there is general election (even if you’ve used the service in the past).
Registrations for telephone dictation voting for the 2026 general election open on Monday 5 October. Call the Electoral Commission on 0800 36 76 36 to register.
Some local elections also offer telephone voting, but not all of them. We recommend you contact your local council to find out if it’s an option.
Other options if you can’t get to a voting place – general elections
If you can’t physically get to a voting place, there are other options to ensure you get to vote in general elections.
Ask someone to collect your voting paper
You can give someone permission to pick up your voting paper from a voting place. To do this, you’ll need to download and sign a form from the vote.nz website. This form will be made available close to the election.
Your chosen person can then take that form to a voting place, collect your paper, and return it once you’ve filled it in.
Contact the Electoral Commission
If you don’t have someone who can pick up your voting paper, contact the Electoral Commission. They may be able to arrange for someone to drop off your voting paper and then collect it from you.
You can call the Electoral Commission on 0800 36 76 56 or email enquiries@elections.govt.nz.
Voting from a care home
If you’re in a care home and can’t get to a voting place, don’t worry. Your electorate manager will contact the manager of your care home to arrange voting services. There is no need for you to contact the Electoral Commission.