The 2022 Council Elections are a few weeks away, and all eligible South Australians on the roll will soon receive their ballot packs in the mail.
Last week, regulations were passed that allow the Electoral Commission of SA (ECSA) to provide a telephone assisted voting service for eligible voters. ECSA is pleased to confirm that a dedicated Call Centre has been established to facilitate Telephone Assisted Voting.
People living with blindness or who have low vision can now cast their vote through ECSA’s new secure Telephone Assisted Voting service.
The Telephone Assisted Voting service is easy to use; however, we ask that electors utilising this service familiarise themselves with the candidates running for their local council area, before calling.
Each councils list of candidates and their profiles are available online at https://ecsa.sa.gov.au/candidates. Candidate information sheets are also available in the ballot packs posted to all eligible voters from 14 October 2022.
The Telephone Assisted Voting service is available to a select criteria of voters, including people living with blindness or low vision, as well as people who are interstate or overseas during the voting period.
The Telephone Assisted Voting service is available weekdays from 10:00am Monday 17 October 2022 until 5:00pm on Thursday 10 November 2022. Extended hours are available on Tuesday 8 November and Wednesday 9 November, with full details listed on our website at https://ecsa.sa.gov.au/telephone-voting.
Accessing the service is simple. Eligible voters can contact the ECSA Call Centre on one of the numbers below, where their eligibility to vote via telephone is confirmed by an ECSA representative:
- 1300 655 232 within South Australia only,
- 08 7424 7400 from interstate,
- +61 8 7424 7400 from overseas.
Once a person’s eligibility is confirmed they will be assigned a unique identifying number and transferred to a voting assistant who will help them cast their vote.
Another electoral officer (not the ECSA representative who transferred the call) will listen to the entire telephone conversation with the voting assistant to ensure the ballot paper is marked in accordance with the voter’s instructions.
Eligible voters are not obligated to use the telephone assisted voting service. If preferred, they can complete the printed ballot papers received in the mail and return them using the reply-paid envelope. Completed ballot papers must arrive at ECSA before 5:00 pm on 10 November 2022 to be included in the count.
An audio how to vote guide is available through our Easy Read guide link at
https://ecsa.easyread.com.au/how-to-vote-in-council-elections/
For further information please go to our website, or contact the Call Centre on 1300 655 232.
