Writing at the American Society on Aging’s Generations Today digital publication, David M. Levy Professor of Law Nina Kohn discusses the need to protect the voting rights of residents of long-term care facilities. In the article, Voters Live Here: Understanding the Voting Rights and Needs of Long-term Care Residents, Kohn covers common barriers, legal protections, and how care facility staff can help.
“Whether long-term care residents can vote is not a trivial issue. Voting is a fundamental right, a powerful symbol of membership in the community, and can be an important source of self-worth. The right to vote also provides long-term care residents with an important opportunity to defend their interests—interests that are often pushed to the wayside. Moreover, long-term care residents’ votes could be decisive in critical races,” Kohn concludes.