Long-term care facility residents often face increased challenges on elections years. Here, Doug Lauenstein addresses some of these challenges and explains how to cast your ballot in 2016 while in a nursing home.

Moving into a nursing home or assisted living facility changes your address, meaning that you must re-register to vote under this new address. Doing so requires that a resident either visits their local elections office or department of motor vehicles, mails in a national voter registration application or registers online.  Online registration is available in over 30 states.

Another difficulty that long-term care facility residents face is physically casting their ballot during elections.  Many of these residents are limited in their ability to leave the facility.  If this is the case for you or a loved one, there are several options that allow you to vote from the facility you live.  The first is absentee voting. While absentee voting is available in every state, each has different requirements.  Some states require a reason for absentee status, such as a physical disability, while many will simply require you to be 60 to 65 years of age in order to qualify.

In some cases, mobile polling is an option for those living in a nursing home or assisted living facility.  This method of voting is only made available based on demand. To inquire about how to obtain mobile polling for your facility, contact your local elections office.

For those who have physical disabilities that do not allow them to vote on Election Day, early voting is a good option.  37 states offer individuals the opportunity to visit an election office and vote in person prior to election day, without a formal excuse.  This allows long-term care residents the ability to vote at their convenience.

For more information on long-term care facilities and your voting options, contact experienced attorney, Doug Lauenstein.