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    September 19, 2024

    Voting & Cognitive Impairments

    Voter Assistance Resources

    Voter Assistance Resources

    New!

    Experts Weigh in on Voting Accessibility - The American Bar Association’s Commission on Disability Rights interviewed three individuals about the barriers disabled Americans face while voting, as well as potential solutions to them. 

    50 State Listing of Available Voter Assistance - This 50 State Listing of Available Voter Assistance is a state-by-state guide that will assist voters to be able to fully participate in the electoral process. A free resource from the ABA Commission on Law and Aging. 

    ABA Legislative Policies on Voting

    Accommodating Cognitive Impairments in Voting

    Assisting Cognitively Impaired Individuals with Voting: A Quick Guide 

    Difficulties in communication can occur when assisting a voter who has a cognitive impairment. The techniques and tips described  in this guide will help make sure that your communication is as effective as possible and within the limits of  assistance permitted by election laws. 

    Assisting Cognitively Impaired Individuals with Voting: A Quick Guide - Spanish

    Accommodating Cognitive Impairments in Voting: Shaping Clinically and Ethically Sound Institutional and Public Policy

    The American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging, with funding from the Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging and the Greenwall Foundation, is conducting a project to identify, publicize, and catalyze policy and practice strategies nationwide that promote proper access to the polls by persons with cognitive impairments and protect against the fraudulent manipulation of the vote of this population.

    The project, Accommodating Cognitive Impairments in Voting: Shaping Clinically and Ethically Sound Institutional and Public Policy, will accomplish these goals by:

    • Surveying state election policies and activities addressing accommodations for persons with cognitive impairment in order to identify promising practices;
    • Developing an easily accessible clearinghouse of information and resources on the subject;
    • Identifying and describing the experiences in the November 2008 election of those election boards that provide direct outreach and support to residents of long-term care facilities and publishing a report of the findings;
    • Supporting and evaluating a demonstration project of "mobile polling" in Vermont and publishing the evaluation in a peer-reviewed journal.

    This website accomplishes the second goal of the project by developing an easily accessible clearinghouse of information and resources on the subject, including findings from the first, third and fourth goals of the project.

    Clearinghouse Materials

    Articles

    Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law Materials

    Congressional Hearings

    Election Assistance Commission Materials

    Government Accountability Office (GAO) Materials

    National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform

    News

    State Law

    State Resources

    Maryland

    Missouri

    Nevada

    Oregon

    Texas

    Vermont

    Washington

    Symposium Facilitating Voting as People Age: Implications of Cognitive Impairment

    Websites

    Voting and Long Term Care

    The Challenges of Voting for Persons in Long Term Care by Julie Gilgoff

    Within the context of the unique challenges facing voters because of the Covid 19 pandemic, the American Bar Association (ABA) conducted a study to determine the degree of voting assistance that was provided to residents at LTC facilities, nationwide. Although the conditions of this election may never again be replicated, there are several takeaways, which hold promise for the future. The  executive summary of the results of this study can be found in BIFOCAL Vol. 42, Issue 3.  

    This project made possible by generous support of the Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging.

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