Partner With Election Officials & Implement Policies Now to Avoid Future Complications

During the election season, the Center for Vulnerable Voters receives several calls from Pennsylvania long-term care providers requesting assistance. Often, deadlines have been missed, making it difficult to determine how to provide optimal services and safeguards for the community’s residents.

Now is the time to establish partnerships with your local election authorities. Election offices start preparing for an election up to 9 months in advance, and so should providers.  Planning ahead will avoid hassles and confusion for directors, vulnerable voters, and the election authorities.

Recommended steps:

• If you do not have the Pennsylvania Voting Assistance Legal Guide,  we will be happy to email you a copy. Please submit requests to the email address below.
• Residents who are mobile should go to the polling place to participate in Early On-Demand Mail Ballot Voting. This will ensure the privacy of residents’ votes and eliminate the need for providers to monitor the proper chain of custody of ballots while in the facility. Find out more information at: On-Demand Ballot Voting
• If you have residents who wish to vote and are unable to leave the community to participate in the voting process, please review the Employee Best Practices For Voting in Senior Facilities at: Best Practices. This guide will help in policy implementation.
• Locate your local election office at: County Election Officials

A few key points to keep in mind:

• Outside organizations should not be allowed in the community to assist residents with voter registration, ballot applications or voting.
• The resident voter must initiate the request for assistance with all voting aspects—voter registration, ballot application, and marking the ballot.

Taking time now to implement polices and partner with your local election office will help eliminate unforeseen hassles, ensure residents who wish to vote are not prevented from doing so by unintentional obstacles and make certain safeguards are in place to protect residents from possible vote fraud.

Please contact Laura Williams OTR/L, National Training Coordinator, with any material requests, questions or concerns at: Laura.Williams@CenterForVulnenableVoters.org

Disclaimer: This information is being provided for educational purposes and should not be construed as legal advice. You should always consult an attorney before taking action to ensure that recent changes in law have not altered your obligations.