AMAC Promotes Resources to Protect Seniors’ Votes

AMAC is committed to protecting election integrity and preserving the right of every eligible American to make his or her own choices at the ballot box – including the millions of Americans who live in nursing homes, assisted living communities, and other long-term care facilities.

Residents of these facilities can be particularly vulnerable to coercion or improper influence because they may depend on others for assistance with everyday activities, including registering to vote, obtaining a ballot, or physically completing and returning one. Yet the threat of someone improperly influencing – or even attempting to control – the vote of a senior or other vulnerable resident receives far less public attention than many other election integrity concerns.

Federal officials have documented reasons for concern. In updated guidance issued this summer, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) cited a Texas case in which a social worker was charged with 134 felony counts involving the alleged unlawful voter registration of residents at a state-supported living center. CMS also pointed to a Wisconsin investigation involving eight residents of a care center whose mental capacities had allegedly diminished because of age or disease and who nevertheless submitted mail-in ballots.

To help safeguard the votes of senior Americans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, AMAC is proud to partner with the Election Integrity Network (EIN) to promote its new Protecting Vulnerable Voters Toolkit, a collection of resources designed to help families, facility staff, grassroots advocates, and volunteers understand and defend the voting rights of residents in long-term care facilities.

AMAC members can access EIN’s Protecting Vulnerable Voters resources and toolkit here.

The toolkit explains the federal protections afforded to residents, outlines proper voting procedures, identifies potential warning signs of improper activity, and provides information on how concerns can be documented and directed to the appropriate authorities.

“Every senior deserves the confidence that his or her ballot reflects a free and personal choice – not the preferences of a caregiver, facility employee, political activist, or anyone else,” said AMAC CEO Rebecca Weber. “Protecting voting rights means protecting both the right to vote and the right to say no. AMAC is proud to work with the Election Integrity Network to make sure families and advocates understand these protections and have the tools they need to safeguard the voices of vulnerable Americans.”

Sharon Bemis, President of the Election Integrity Network, similarly emphasized that entering a care facility does not diminish an individual’s rights as a voter:

“Living in a nursing home or residential facility does not surrender a citizen’s right to vote — and it does not give anyone else the right to cast that ballot. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has now made the federal standard unmistakable: residents retain the right to vote and the equal right to decline, free from coercion or unauthorized action. The Election Integrity Network’s Protecting Vulnerable Voters Project puts that standard in the hands of families, facilities, and volunteers so the resident’s vote belongs to the resident.”

AMAC is also encouraging its members and advocates to join EIN’s Authenticate the Ballot online meeting on Wednesday, September 2, at 11:00 a.m. ET. The meeting will walk participants through the CMS guidance, explain the new toolkit, and discuss how volunteers can help protect vulnerable voters in their communities.

Members can register for the September 2 meeting here.

EIN’s initiative follows a significant clarification from CMS earlier this summer.

On July 20, CMS issued updated guidance reaffirming federal protections governing the voting rights of residents in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

The guidance makes clear that residents retain both the right to vote and the right to decline to participate in an election, without coercion, pressure, manipulation, or unauthorized action.

CMS clarified that facilities may not register residents to vote without their knowledge and consent and may not complete a mail-in ballot on a resident’s behalf without authorization. The agency also encouraged facilities to coordinate with state and local election officials so that trained, bipartisan election workers – rather than facility employees – can manage voting wherever possible.

AMAC Action formally backed those protections in an August 31 letter to CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz.

“We commend CMS for reaffirming a fundamental principle: every eligible senior has the right to vote, and every senior has the equal right to choose not to vote,” AMAC Action wrote. “Neither decision should be subject to coercion, pressure, manipulation, or unauthorized action by a nursing facility, its employees, or any other individual.”

The letter further stressed that “individual liberty does not diminish when a senior enters a nursing facility or requires assistance with daily activities.”

As Election Day approaches, AMAC will continue working with EIN and other partners to ensure seniors, their families, and advocates understand these protections and know what steps they can take when concerns arise.

Election integrity begins with the simple principle that every lawful ballot should represent the free choice of the voter whose name is on it – and no one else’s. That applies no matter a voter’s age or where he or she calls home.