iVote

• Blind and vision-impaired voters in NSW affected by decommissioning of iVote

  1st Dec 2022

  iVote enabled blind and vision-impaired people to cast an anonymous, independent vote for the first time, when it was introduced in 2011, through screen reader software that ‘speaks’ the text. But the internet-voting system crashed under the weight of demand in 2021, and three council elections had to be voided by the courts. The NSW Electoral Commissioner has dropped iVote for the March 2023 state election, explaining that the software is being phased out and there isn't time to set up and test a new version. The impact on blind and vision-impaired citizens is inordinate. Nick Burton expresses concern.