More than 100,000 Pennsylvanians live in long-term care facilities. Advocates worry voting will be a 'logistical nightmare.'
Today,
And so the work of ensuring thousands of older Pennsylvanians vote is left to the operators of the nursing homes and long-term care facilities that remain under immense pressure to keep the virus at bay. Most facilities are pushing mail balloting, which comes with its own logistical challenges.
Advocates for older Pennsylvanians and people with disabilities who are residents of these facilities worry tens of thousands could be disenfranchised because of how drastically voting protocols have changed. That's especially meaningful in
"We are extremely concerned that more than 100,000 nursing home residents may be disenfranchised and precluded from voting because of the pandemic," said
Representatives for providers say nursing home operators "have stepped up to answer the call," but acknowledge the challenges are stark.
"Long-term care residents have been uniquely impacted by both of these issues, the COVID-19 pandemic and the new voting guidelines, perhaps more than any other demographic or population," said
Congregate care centers in
Their vote could be crucial this year, as polls show the presidential race tightening among people over age 65, a large and engaged voting bloc. While older Pennsylvanians favored President
Biden officials said the campaign has a targeted "Seniors for Biden" operation, part of which includes ensuring voters who live in nursing homes can vote by mail. The Trump campaign didn't respond to a request for comment.
Shamberg said prior to this year, voting in nursing homes ran "like clockwork." This year, with tight restrictions on who comes into the building, that's impossible.
"That creates a whole logistical nightmare, because there are folks who still want to cast their ballots in person," said
Many facilities require residents self-isolate for 14 days after leaving the facility and returning. But if a resident leaves to vote, Shamberg said, providers need not require a quarantine unless there is "actual exposure."
When it comes to mail-in ballots, residents have varying needs of assistance, whether it's due to impaired vision, limited use of their hands, or dementia.
For example, at Bucks
Once the ballots arrive, staff will distribute them and ensure residents follow the directions. But staff can't drop completed ballots off at the county elections office or a drop box -- state law requires voters return their own mail-in or absentee ballot. The only exception is for voters with a disability who may designate someone in writing to return it for them, but that person must live in the same "household."
Long-term care staff don't count, the
Johnson said the issue for advocates is "there's no entity in place to oversee what's happening in nursing homes" regarding voting procedures. Facilities aren't required to create a plan.
"We have to take these facilities at their word and say, 'OK, you say you're helping them, but at the end of the day, I don't know if you're taking their ballots or offering to bring them to the polls,' and there's no way of us really knowing," he said.
A handful of advocates for people with disabilities sent a letter last month to state officials, writing "many facilities throughout the state have made little or no effort to assist residents" and urging the state to require facilities submit a plan of action.
"But they don't address the hard questions like, well, how? What have they done to assist this process? How many of these facilities have a prayer of doing this on time?" he said. "Everything is so different this election than last. But we're not doing anything different for them."
A
Buck said state officials should be "much more proactive" in assisting facilities to ensure they receive ballots with enough time to distribute them and get them filled out, and that they are processed in a timely manner.
"Older people have been treated as less than during this pandemic," she said, "and this is a fundamental right that older people cherish and value, often more than most of us."
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