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.
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.
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:
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.
All ABA content is copyrighted and may be reprinted and/or reproduced by permission only. In some cases, a fee may be charged. To protect the integrity of our authors’ work, we require that articles be reprinted unedited in their entirety. To request permission to reprint or reproduce any ABA content, go to the online reprint/reproduction request form.
