It’s never too late to enrol to vote

Having your voice and opinion heard through casting your vote in Australia’s elections is a fundamental right. People with disability should also feel encouraged to cast their vote and there are a range of accessible voting options and resources available for them.

Erica Halvorsen-Simao, one of Aruma’s Human Rights Advisors, has this year enrolled to vote for the first time, as she wants to have her say in today’s election.

“I want to help elect someone who will support people with disability. I also want the government to know that we are people. We have a disability, but we are people too. They should not put someone to the side because they have a disability. When I was growing up, they used to always set people like me aside,” said Erica.

When she was 18 years old, Erica’s mother told her, “You do not need to vote because you have a disability.”

This sentiment was carried by Erica for most of her adult life. However, through her involvement with the Human Rights Advisory Committee and meeting James McCoy, a fellow advisor, Erica began to question what she had always been told.

“James knows a lot about voting, the government and elections. His family also know a lot about those topics and have helped him learn more.

James talks a lot about people with disability having the right to vote, and he encouraged me to enrol to vote,” continued Erica.

James sat down with Erica and the Human Rights Lead, Judy Topper and together, the pair enrolled her to vote. They were also there to help her update her details when she married and changed her name.

Erica shared, “If someone with a disability wants to register for the first time, I would suggest they have somebody help them do it. I did find it hard to do, but it is worth it to have my voice heard.”

Erica thought that voting on the day might be too overwhelming with all of the crowds, so with the assistance of her Support Worker, Erica cast an early vote at one of the pre-polling locations.

“It feels good to have voted. All Australians should be able to vote, even when they have a disability. The votes affect all of us, so we all need to vote,” said Erica.

A version of this story was also published in The Senior.