Nursing Home Residents Right to Vote
Every citizen has the right to vote, including residents in nursing homes. Please Join Mairead Painter the State Long Term Care Ombudsman and Nora Duncan the State Director of AARP for a Virtual Education Series to discuss Nursing Home Residents Right to vote in Connecticut for the general election 2024.
Federal Regulations Guarantee Your Voting Rights:
- §483.10(b) Exercise of Rights: The resident has the right to exercise his or her rights as a resident of the facility and as a citizen or resident of the United States.
- §483.10(b)(1) The facility must ensure that the resident can exercise his or her rights without interference, coercion, discrimination, or reprisal from the facility.
- §483.10(b)(2) The resident has the right to be free of interference, coercion, discrimination, and reprisal from the facility in exercising his or her rights and to be supported by the facility in the exercise of his or her rights as required under this subpart.
- §483.10(g)(7) The facility must protect and facilitate that resident's right to communicate with individuals and entities within and external to the facility, including reasonable access to: (i) A telephone, including TTY and TDD services; (ii) The internet, to the extent available to the facility; and (iii) Stationery, postage, writing implements and the ability to send mail;
- §483.10(h)(2) The facility must respect the residents right to personal privacy, including the right to privacy in his or her oral (that is, spoken), written, and electronic communications, including the right to send and promptly receive unopened mail and other letters, packages and other materials delivered to the facility for the resident, including those delivered through a means other than a postal service; and “Promptly” means delivery of mail or other materials to the resident within 24 hours of delivery by the postal service (including a post office box) and delivery of outgoing mail to the postal service within 24 hours, except when there is no regularly scheduled postal delivery and pick-up service.
What if Your Rights are Violated?
If you believe your voting rights are violated, you have several options:
File a complaint with the State Survey Agency (Connecticut Department of Public Health) - https://dphflisevents.ct.gov/Complaints
Report voter coercion or intimidation to the Department of Justice - https://www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section
Contact the Connecticut Long Term Care Ombudsman Program at 1-866-388-1888
Contact Disability Rights Connecticut at www.disrightsct.org
File a complaint with the State Elections Enforcement Commission at www.ct.gov/seec
Additional Resources and Information
Office of the Secretary of the State 2024 General Election Voter Guide
Absentee Voting Statutes 9-133 Through 9-163
Federal Regulations Resident Rights
National Consumer Voice Resident Right to Vote Informational