our stories

Two years ago, members of the Clinically Vulnerable community began telling us something was wrong. People who had voted all their lives no longer felt able to vote in person. The introduction of voter ID had created a new barrier. For Clinically Vulnerable voters and others who continued to wear a mask indoors being asked to remove it, even briefly, made attending a polling station less safe.

Two years ago, members of the Clinically Vulnerable community began telling us something was wrong. People who had voted all their lives no longer felt able to vote in person. The introduction of voter ID had created a new barrier. For Clinically Vulnerable voters and others who continued to wear a mask indoors being asked to remove it, even briefly, made attending a polling station less safe.

The Voting Accessibility Audit for the 2026 local elections will open 7th May - and anyone can take part, even if you have a postal vote. Last time, you told us what was happening at polling stations. Over 70% of Clinically Vulnerable voters said they no longer felt able to vote in person at all. Nearly half were asked to remove their mask indoors. Some were ID-checked while masked - although that was against the rules. A small number were turned away entirely. You helped us

Opinion | 22 April 2026 By Lara Wong, Founder and CEO, Clinically Vulnerable Families When I set up Clinically Vulnerable Families in August 2020, I had no idea it would eventually lead me to give evidence, under oath, to the largest inquiry in UK history. I was a science teacher. I was concerned about the risk to families who were being forced back into schools without suitable protection, before any vaccine existed. That was just my starting point. What followed was over