Should Dementia/Alzheimer’s Patients Vote?
October 21, 2008 by Mary Emma Allen
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
THE RIGHT TO VOTE
“Should Dementia/Alzheimer’s Patients Vote?” This concern continually crops up at election time, whether national, state or local. In Presidential Election years, it’s more prominent than in others. Should someone with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or some form of memory and reasoning loss have the right to vote?
More importantly…Do they know how to vote and whom they’re voting for? Are they easily led by someone who wants to control their vote? If they use an absentee ballot, do they really vote or does someone else do it, perhaps even against the party lines the dementia patient would?
When do you decide someone should not vote? Who decides this?
We often don’t think about it until we’re confronted with an Alzheimer’s or memory loss family member. Then what should we do?
Mother and Voting
When Mother was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, she wanted to vote as she and my dad always did. I suggested an absentee ballot so she wouldn’t have go to the polls.
Mother agreed. She was still able to understand the ballot and indicate her choice. By the following year, she didn’t realize it was election time nor ask to vote. So I didn’t remind her because it seemed logical that she wouldn’t know what she was doing.
What is your opinion about dementia patients and voting? When should they be refused? Who is to determine? Is there any way to determine if ballot fraud is going on with Alzheimer’s patients and voting?
Wow, what a thought-provoking bunch of questions!
I don’t know that there should be any kind of legal deciding factor in when an Alzheimer’s or dementia patient can no longer vote, but I do think that as long as the patient can say, “I want to vote for [candidate] this year,” the patient should be allowed to do so. You know, as long as the candidate isn’t, I don’t know, Reagan or someone. You get my point, haha. Let’s face it: There are Americans out there with perfectly healthy minds who vote for whomever their friends, family members, employers, etc. tell them to vote for every election year. I think if an Alzheimer’s or dementia patient wants to vote, and has even the slightest mental clarity enough to do so, then so be it.
My father shows signs of ALZ, but at 86 he knows who the candidates are and is strong in his opinions. He voted by absentee ballot as he is almost totally blind, and due to his age. I agree with this post that, as long as they are aware of who is running and they have expressed the desire to vote, they should do so.
I really don’t get this if a person knows who is running for presidency, I really don’t feel as thoe they have alzheimers.