Chlöe Swarbrick MP's Election Access Fund Bill was written to support disabled people in accessing and participating in elections and standing for political office.
It establishes a contestable fund that will be administered by the Electoral Commission. The Fund may be used by any disabled candidate to cover disability-related costs of standing in a general election.
These costs could include:
- NZSL interpreter support for candidate forums,
- notetaker or transcribing costs,
- costs of translating material into braille,
- or travel costs to attend candidate forums.
This Bill was pulled from the ballot in February 2018 and passed first reading with unanimous support. The Bill has come back from select committee with some changes and passed its second reading and committee stages in December 2019. It will proceed through to a third and final reading, and become law, in the coming months.
