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THE NEWS It’s important that you have your say in the upcoming 2026 General Election by voting for the people and parties who will represent you in Parliament. Decisions made by Parliament influence many areas of everyday life for people with disabilities, so it’s important that disabled people and their whānau have the opportunity to help shape those decisions through voting. The Electoral Commission’s goal is to make sure every eligible New Zealander can participate in this year’s election in a way that is fair, equitable, and accessible, including by providing a range of voting options for people with different accessibility requirements. Enrolling or updating your details To vote in the election you need to be enrolled, or your details updated, before midnight October 25. You can enrol or check your details online or call them to get an enrolment form posted to you. A friend, family member or caregiver can support you to complete your enrolment form, or they can complete it for you. Enrolment information is available in alternate formats here: www.tinyurl.com/5yfvkwwp Accessible voting Around one month before the election the Electoral Commission will publish an Building an accessible election for every New Zealander online map showing where you can vote and whether the venue is accessible. You can vote at any voting place at any time during this period, as long as you are enrolled. Some voting places can be quite busy at certain times of the day. It is usually quieter from 9am–11am and 2pm– 4pm, Monday to Friday. Help to vote If you need help to read or mark your voting paper, a friend, family member or electoral official can be your support person. They can: • Go behind the voting screen with you • Read out the words and information on your voting paper • Mark the voting papers for you if you ask them to. They cannot tell you who you should vote for. Can’t get to a voting place? The Commission wants to make sure that you can still vote even if getting to a voting place is difficult or not possible. You can authorise someone to pick up your voting papers from a voting place for you. You must fill out an online form to do this or handwrite your authorisation. Information about how to do this is here: www.tinyurl.com/yewhu82e The Commission might be able to have your voting papers delivered to you. You can phone them to see if this is possible. Telephone dictation service If your disability means you can’t mark your voting papers without help, you can vote using the telephone dictation service. You need to register to use this service, even if you’ve used it before. Registration opens on October 5, and will close at noon on election day, November 7. Have your say! Voting in the 2026 General Election will be open from 9am, October 26 until 7pm, November 7. If you need any support to take part, or more information, call 0800 36 76 56 or head to www.vote.nz By THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION SEPTEMBER 2026 THE REVIEW | 9