Election day is quickly approaching. This year, more than ever, it is important to make sure that you have a plan to cast your ballot in a safe and healthy way. Recently, the organization, Justice in Aging sent out an e-mail listing multiple resources to make sure that older adults and individuals with disabilities are able make their voice heard in this election. We have gone through these resources and summarized them below.
- The National Council on Aging put together a state by state guide for Healthy Voting. One of the tips the National Council on Aging offers here is to vote by mail. However, the guide also gives advice for staying healthy if you vote in person. This includes wearing a mask, maintaining physical distance of 6 feet between you and other voters or poll workers, and washing your hands before and after you cast your ballot.
- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a memorandum regarding nursing home residents’ right to vote. In the memo, CMS lists the federal laws that affirm the right of residents to vote. The memo states that nursing homes should have a plan to make sure that residents are able to exercise their right to vote whether in person or by mail. The memo additionally provides resources for nursing home residents to file a complaint if they believe their right to vote has been violated.
- The National Long-Term Ombudsman Resource Center posted a Voting Resources guide on its website. The website offers resources for both nursing home residents and ombudsmen, such as advocacy programs, Voter ID requirements by states and programs for ombudsmen to implement to help make sure the right to vote is protected in nursing homes.
- The American Bar Association Commission on Law & Aging and the Penn Memory Center offers a Quick Guide for Assisting Cognitively Impaired Individuals with Voting. Importantly, this guide explains that a medical diagnosis of cognitive impairment does not disqualify a person from being eligible to vote. The authors offer several helpful tips when assisting a cognitively impaired individual with voting including, listening carefully, speaking clearly, reading body language, and timing the discussion on voting appropriately.
- The National Guardianship Association offers helpful advice for guardians to help protect the rights of the individual under guardianship. Illinois does not have any disability-restrictions on the right to vote in elections. As such, guardians should ask the person under guardianship if they wish to vote, and if so, discuss different voting options with the individual so that this goal can be accomplished.
- The Arc, an organization dedicated to protecting the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, issued a Disability Voter Guide. This guide is meant to help people with disabilities understand, in part, the voting process, where to learn about the candidates, how voting works and what to do if your voting rights are violated.
There is so much at stake in this upcoming election. These resources are incredibly helpful to understand your rights and make sure you have a plan to vote on November 3. If you have any questions about your voting rights, please contact Attorney Lauren Kaplan at lkaplan@curlerlaw.com or (312) 952-1077 for a free consultation.