“I think there’s a cohort of people with disability who are not voting because it’s too hard to access, or they’re too ill, or it’s too hard to figure out,” she told SBS News.

“If you’re in an aged care facility or a mental health ward or hospital, it’s quite likely that we’ll be servicing that site with a mobile site and people coming out to you.”

Not all polling booths are accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility aids. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

But Travers said that, in practice, those options weren’t always as useful as one might think.

“There’s virtual Auslan when people do go to vote, but there’s usually only one person trained in that with the electoral commission when you go there … it’s usually the supervisor who is busy doing other things, so you have to go wait in the corner for half an hour to be able to participate.”

Progress is being made, but barriers remain

A polling place at Marangaroo in Perth’s north featured a booth with low-sensory lighting and access to break-out areas for use before and after voting.

Around 5.5 million people in Australia have a disability, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Sausages served on a slice of white bread — commonly known as the ‘democracy sausage’ — are a fixture of many Australian polling centres. Source: AAP / James Ross

Travers said it’s unclear how many of them are enrolled to vote.

“We do everything we can to make our forms and our processes accessible.”