New Voting Resources from the Iowa Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman

September 08, 2016

The Iowa Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman published new resources to help residents vote.

Iowa Voter Guide for Residents/Tenants of Long-Term Care Facilities 
This guide was designed to speak directly to residents/tenants and provide them with basic information about the various options they have to register and vote from the facility or in-person. 

Sample Voter Assistance Plan
This helpful tool was designed by the Iowa Ombudsman Program so that facilities can talk with each resident/tenant to keep track of personal voting preferences, stay on top of dates and deadlines and help ensure nothing "falls through the cracks."

Additional Resources
The elder population accounts for a large portion of voters during elections. This population is more likely to vote in prominent elections than their younger counterparts. However, residents in long-term care facilities have a harder time accessing voting locations due to mobility, health, and other issues that inhibit their ability to vote. Involvement of Long-Term Care Ombudsmen Programs in aiding and advocating for this issue can help residents' in long-term care facilities exercise their right to vote. For more resources to help raise awareness of the issue of residents' rights and guides and information to help long-term care residents vote, visit NORC's Voting Issue Page.

Residents' Rights Month
Residents' Rights Month is an annual event designated by the Consumer Voice and is celebrated in October to honor residents living in all long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, sub acute units, assisted living, board and care and retirement communities. Encourage residents in your state to participate in the 2016 Resident’s Voice Challenge! Creative writing and artistic expression are meaningful and compelling ways to communicate the importance of residents’ rights and how these rights can be carried out in all long-term care settings. 

For this year’s Resident’s Voice Challenge, residents are encouraged to pick up their pens, dust off their type writers or use a computer to display their writing or artistic skills by submitting essays, poems, artwork, drawings, or videos related to the theme for Residents' Rights Month 2016 "My Vote Matters." Submissions can be emailed to info@theconsumervoice.org.

For more information on Residents' Rights Month, click here.