This November, millions of Americans will head to the polls for the 2024 presidential election. But while the right to vote is essential to our democracy, unfortunately, the process of voting can present unique challenges for individuals with disabilities like dementia, often requiring outside assistance. If you’re a caregiver, how much can you help someone vote? What kind of assistance is available to those with dementia?

On episode 3 of the Age of Aging, we look at voting, and what the process means for individuals with dementia and their caregivers.

We begin by talking with Dr. Jason Karlawish who discusses the legal framework around voting capacity and shares his perspective on how to define a person’s capacity to vote. Then, voting advocate TJ DeLuca provides some important information on assisting the voting process for individuals with disabilities. Finally, we’ll hear from a voter who was falsely told he could not help his wife with dementia vote in 2020.

Resources

• Pennsylvania Designated Agent Form

• Check out the American Bar Association and Penn Memory Center’s guide to voting with cognitive impairment

• More on Doe v. Rowe case

• Read Dr. Karlawish’s study on voting in long-term care facilities

• Visit disabilityrightspa.org or call 1-800-692-7443 to learn your rights

Special thanks to Jason Karlawish, MD, TJ DeLuca, and John Moore for being a part of this episode.

The Age of Aging is a Penn Memory Center production hosted by Editorial Director Terrence Casey and Producer Jake Johnson, in partnership with the Penn FTD Center, the Penn Institute on Aging, and UPenn’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Contributors include Nicolette Calcavecchia, Dalia Elsaid, Marie Ingegneri, Jason Karlawish, Emily Largent, Meg McCarthy, and Meaghan Sharp.