Protecting Residents and Staff from Outside Groups 

It is important for residential directors to take steps to protect residents from outside groups that want to assist residents with either ballot applications/requests and/or submissions. It is equally important to protect your staff members from outside groups that offer financial compensation for ballot trafficking.  

Protecting Cognitively Impaired and Disabled Ohio Residents During Elections

Federal and Ohio laws that address voting sometimes change, so it is important that facility staff receive legal guidance prior to every election. Facility staff and leadership who are not trained to uphold election laws can make mistakes that could result in criminal prosecutions. Such was the case when a Michigan nursing home employee was sentenced to 45 days in jail and probation for forging signatures on absentee ballot applications in 2022.

Residents who are cognitively impaired:

Some of your residents may be considered “non compos mentis” — a term that means they are “not of sound mind.” Whether those residents have […]

Protecting Your Ohio Long Term Care Community During Elections: Part 2

Once residential directors have identified any facility vulnerabilities, it is important to implement policies and procedures to protect the residents, staff, and facility. It is crucial to educate staff on state and federal voting laws, as well as criminal penalties for vote fraud. Directors can be held responsible for staff failure to comply with the law.

Long-term care community directors are responsible for:

  • Properly following ballot assistance laws.
  • Knowing which residents are “non compos mentis” and ensuring state and federal voting laws are followed for these individuals. Staff should not mark ballots for residents who cannot express their wish to vote […]

Protecting Your Ohio Long Term Care Community During Elections: Part 1

It is important for residential communities to perform a self-assessment to protect the voting rights of residents and protect the staff and facility from legal issues and bad publicity. Asking the following questions may be helpful in identifying any vulnerabilities.

  • Am I providing quality training to staff regarding adherence to state and federal election laws?
  • Does my facility have unmonitored assistance with ballot requests or submissions?
  • Are there non-government organizations entering my facility to assist residents with any aspect of the voting process?
  • Are there ballot requests and/or ballot submissions of residents with dementia and/or other mental impairments?
  • Are there […]

Protecting Vulnerable Voters – Ohio

It is important to ensure that the votes of vulnerable citizens are protected and counted fairly. Here are a few key points from the Center for Vulnerable Voters Senior Citizen Voting Bill of Rights that outline what Ohio’s vulnerable voters can and should expect from our election systems.