“I just wanted to vote safely”: How Clinically Vulnerable voters have changed national guidance

When Andrea Barrett set out to vote, she wasn’t expecting to become a case study in how our democracy had failed Clinically Vulnerable people.

Andrea lives with a health condition that means Covid wasn't a temporary risk - it remains a serious, ongoing issue. When she went to vote in 2024 she did everything right. She brought valid photo ID, wore a mask, and even brought video evidence showing she had put the mask on before entering the building.

But at the polling station, she was told to remove her mask indoors in order to vote.

She said "No".

Andrea wasn't given any viable options to vote whilst masking and so she left without casting her ballot.

Shortly after, distressed by her experience, she contacted us at Clinically Vulnerable Families. While she may have been one of a small number who were reported in the news at the time for missing out on their vote entirely, her story wasn’t unique. It echoed the experiences of many others navigating the new risks introduced by voter ID. Many people felt they were being forced to choose between their health and their right to take part in elections in person.

However, experiences like hers are now part of the reason why we are celebrating something big!

Andrea at her local polling station after they trialled changes to improve accessibility

Turning experiences into change

Long before voter ID was introduced, Clinically Vulnerable Families was already helping people navigate unsafe indoor environments. Back in 2020, we were the first organisation to encourage Clinically Vulnerable people to use postal voting as a safe alternative.

When voter ID was announced, we immediately recognised the new risks posed by demasking. So, in advance of its first major rollout in 2023, we launched #MyMaskMyVote - to raise awareness that the new rules could put Clinically Vulnerable voters in impossible situations, all whilst gathering important evidence of what was happening on the ground.

Before Andrea contacted us, we had heard from many others who were concerned before the election about the pressure to demask, confused over the new rules and even facing hostility when they had tried to vote safely previously, and so we had contacted the Electoral Commission and encouraged people to communicate with their Returning Officers to alert them to our concerns and new needs. However, in order to make a case for real change, we:

• Collected data and stories from across the UK;

• Ran a Voting Accessibility Audit for Clinically Vulnerable people and household members;

• Shared our work on Airborne Mitigations as Reasonable Adjustments;

• Took part in and amplified the Electoral Commission Accessibility Consultation, making sure Clinically Vulnerable voices were heard.
  

The picture that emerged from your data was stark:

• Over 70% of Clinically Vulnerable voters or those in Clinically Vulnerable households said they no longer felt able to vote in person at all, and had moved to postal voting.

• 42% were asked to remove their mask indoors.

• 38% of those were ID-checked while wearing a mask – which was against the rules!

• 26% took their mask off, even though they did not want to.

• 1% were disenfranchised.
  

The system was quietly pushing people out, when everyone should have the right to vote in person safely. Using the Public Sector Equality Duty positively

A key part of the change was the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) - the legal duty that says public bodies must think ahead about equality and remove barriers before people are excluded.

Clinically Vulnerable Families argued that for Clinically Vulnerable people, airborne infection risk is an accessibility issue, not a personal preference. Adjustments like masking, or clean air enable those at higher risk to re-engage with society safely. And importantly, we demonstrated to the Electoral Commission how polling stations could easily implement many of these adjustments.

The officials at the Electoral Commission not only listened, but they acted! What has changed – and why does it matter?

The Electoral Commission has now updated its guidance for Returning Officers for the May 2026 elections and beyond.

For the first time, it explicitly says that polling stations can and should offer support for Clinically Vulnerable voters, including:

• Using the “see a mask, wear a mask” principle to support voters

• Ensuring good ventilation, such as open windows and doors

• Possible addition of air filters

These sit alongside other more standard accessibility measures like ramps, large-print, or hearing loops.

This is the first public body (outside of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry) to recognise:

• Clinically Vulnerable people exist(!)

• Our increased health risks from airborne infection matter

• Clinically Vulnerable people should be able to access a public space without being forced to take unnecessary risks

It also further embeds the precedent set by the UK Covid-19 Inquiry: filtered air, masks and improved ventilation can be recognised as reasonable adjustments in public services.

That is a huge step forward for us!

An important win that we can now build on

This doesn’t take away what happened to Andrea, to those who were pressured to demask, or to the many people who missed the chance to exercise their democratic rights in person. But your feedback has now changed something real!

Your experiences, combined with your data, survey responses, and you sharing and amplifying our message across social media along with our advocacy work has helped change national guidance... and that is not an everyday achievement for a small organisation like CVF or a community that has been so overlooked!!!

Thank you - and what can we do next?

We are incredibly proud of this milestone. And we are proud of you. This win belongs to our whole community!

But Clinically Vulnerable Families' work is not done. We need to see changes across the public sector... and, as always, we need your help! To make this easier, we have created a template letter which you can adapt and send to your local public bodies, including e.g. schools, GP surgeries, libraries and councils.

How to use the template

• Copy and paste the text from our shared TEMPLATE into your own document or email.

• Edit it so it reflects your situation and local services.

• Please do not request access to edit the original.

PLEASE help us keep going...

We are a small organisation facing big challenges.

Support our work If you value our work and are able to, please consider supporting Clinically Vulnerable Families - by sharing this story, spreading the word, or by making a donation.

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Even a small contribution makes a huge difference to us!

Together, we have already helped change national guidance. Together, we must keep pushing for a world where no one has to choose between accessibility and their health.