I rang today to ask about phone voting for local elections. As a disabled person, I wanted to know whether the same accessibility that exists for national elections applies at the local level. After fifteen minutes of clarifying my name, spelling out my address, and working through the usual verification process, the answer came back: No. You cannot vote by phone in local elections.
It left me wondering — why not?
Local matters more than we admit
If anything, local elections are more relevant to my everyday life than national elections. Councils and local boards shape the environment we actually live in:
The design of footpaths, kerbs and pedestrian crossings determines whether I can safely move around my community.
- Public transport systems, bus stops, and stations decide whether my support workers can reach me on time.
- Libraries, community centres, parks and pools are either welcoming or inaccessible depending on local planning.
- Local housing rules shape affordability and whether accessible housing is available.
- These decisions don’t feel abstract. They are the difference between being able to participate in community life — or being excluded from it.
Accessibility as an afterthought
National elections allow phone voting for disabled people. It’s not perfect, but it recognises that traditional voting methods aren’t accessible for everyone. So why does that recognition vanish at the local level?
The message it sends is clear: inclusion matters when the “big decisions” are being made, but not when councils decide on the services and infrastructure that shape our daily lives. Accessibility becomes an afterthought, optional rather than essential.
Democracy is local
We often say democracy is about having a voice in the decisions that affect us. But if local elections are harder to participate in for disabled people, then democracy itself is uneven.
It’s ironic: the closer government gets to where people live, the less accessible the process becomes. That feels backwards. If anything, local elections should be more accessible, because the issues they address are immediate and tangible.
Rights ignored
New Zealand has obligations under international and domestic law to ensure accessibility in civic participation. The
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which New Zealand ratified in 2008, is clear in Article 29: States must “guarantee to persons with disabilities political rights and the opportunity to enjoy them on an equal basis with others,” including the right to vote. That includes “ensuring that voting procedures, facilities and materials are appropriate, accessible and easy to understand and use.”
Domestically, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 affirms the right to vote (s12), and the Human Rights Act 1993 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability (s21(h)) in the provision of goods and services — which includes electoral services.
At the national level, these commitments are partly honoured through phone voting. At the local level, they are simply ignored.
A call for consistency
Voting is a right, not a privilege. If we recognise the need for accessible voting in national elections, that principle should flow all the way through our democratic system. Consistency matters. Inclusion shouldn’t stop at Parliament’s steps.
As someone who has spent time on the phone only to be told “no,” I can’t help but feel the deeper “no” underneath it: no, your participation isn’t valued here; no, your voice doesn’t carry the same weight in local matters.
But it should.
Because democracy isn’t only about who governs the nation. It’s also about who fixes the footpath, who funds the bus routes, who decides whether our community is designed for everyone or only for some.
Until disabled people can vote by phone — at every level — our democracy remains incomplete.
References
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), Article 29:
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (Section 12): NZ Legislation
Human Rights Act 1993 (Section 21(h)): NZ Legislation
New Zealand Human Rights Commission – Rights of Disabled People: HRC Website