Assistance in Voting

Voters who on account of disability, poor health or similar are unable to walk into a polling station or voting booth or in any other way are unable to vote in the prescribed way may request the assistance needed to cast their vote. This may call for the necessary modifications of the prescribed procedure and may entail access to cast one’s vote immediately outside the polling station (curbside voting).

Assistance in voting is rendered by two polling supervisors or appointed electors. Instead of one of the supervisors or appointed electors the voter can demand assistance in voting by a person of his/her own choice (a personally appointed helper). A candidate standing for election to the local or regional council may not render assistance in voting as polling supervisor or appointed elector.

The voter can also demand assistance in voting only by a personally appointed helper. However, in order to be assisted only by a personally appointed helper, two conditions must be fulfilled:

1) the voter must directly and unambiguously indicate to a polling supervisor or an appointed elector that the voter only wants to be assisted by a personally appointed helper, and
2) the voter's request must be based on a directly ascertainable or documentable physical or mental disability.

Assistance to cross off a ballot paper may be rendered only when the voter is able to indicate directly and unambiguously to those rendering assistance the list of candidates or candidate for which he or she wants to vote.

Furthermore, certain technical aids will be available for voters in order to help them cast their vote.