The Human Rights Law Centre has called on the Minns Government to make voting more accessible and lower the voting age to 16 in New South Wales state elections. Right now, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disabilities, people in prisons and young people face additional barriers to voting in New South Wales, impacting voter participation, engagement and confidence.  

In a submission to the NSW Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, the Human Rights Law Centre called on the NSW Parliament to: 

• fund the NSW Electoral Commission to work directly with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations to increase enrolment and participation;

• lower the voting age to 16 years in NSW;

• fund the NSW Electoral Commission to ensure polling booths are accessible to all communities, including Aboriginal communities living on homelands and people living in homelessness;

• review the accessibility of voting in NSW; and

• remove the ban on voting for people serving a custodial sentence of 12 months or more.

The right to vote is a cornerstone of democracy, guaranteed under Australian and international human rights law. These reforms are essential to ensuring that every person has the opportunity to participate fully in their democracy.

Read the submission here.