Electoral matters for people from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) with disability

• National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA)

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01 August 2011Australia has a unique voting system with some aspects that the National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA) views very positively. One such aspect is the practice of compulsory voting as it encourages all Australian citizens to have their say, including vulnerable groups like people from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) and people with disability.

The obligation to vote thus has potential to include every Australian voter regardless of disability, ethnicity, gender, etc. However more work needs to be done to better facilitate the enrolment, information and voting process for those who may be disadvantaged due to their disability and/or low English proficiency.

One in every four people with disability is a person of either first or second generation Non-English Speaking Background (NESB). This represents approximately 1 million people across Australia. Most individuals in this group are as capable and intelligent as their English speaking peers who have a disability, however their participation in the Australian State and Government elections are limited by the exponential interplay of their disability and ethnicity.

NEDA begins this paper by detailing some of the work that has been done by NEDA and particularly the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) that has been highly inclusive of people from NESB.

It is discussed how electronic voting, if implemented properly, can include not only people with disability who have mobility difficulties and/or are print handicapped in the voting process, but also people from NESB.

This paper explores the current situation focussing on the factors that make it difficult for some people from NESB to participate in the Australian voting system and the Australian Government’s obligations to involve them. This section is followed by suggestions for ways to increase the participation of people from NESB with disability in the Australian voting system.

The discussion concludes with a comparison of how other countries have attempted to involve people from NESB and people with disability.