Easy-read guide to voting

Many thanks to site contributor Kathy Crockford for drawing my attention to a really marvellous booklet available from The Electoral Commission. The 20 page 'simple guide to voting was designed specifically for people with disabilities or low literacy, but has proved very popular with many audiences'.

As Kathy says: 'It is really excellent – full of graphics, large print and simple language. Perfect – saves me having to re-invent the wheel!'

The booklet clearly explains how to vote, how to use postal and proxy votes, where you vote, and what happens afterwards. Three versions are available for England and Wales (available in English and Welsh), Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

In addition to the downloadable PDF, free hard copies can also be ordered. It really is a lovely document and I just wish I had time to come up with some specific ideas for using it in class. One thing's for sure: it makes a perfect text for Entry 2 and 3 Functional English. After all, what could be more functional than learning how to vote?

If you use this resource in your classes please share your teaching ideas by leaving a comment (or you can email me at http://www.skillsworkshop.org/).