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February 3, 2008Older Americans Suffer Serious Access Limitations to Exercise their Right to Vote |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: PHILADELPHIA -- The US Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing yesterday in Washington, DC, on older Americans and the significant barriers they face in exercising their right to vote. Jason Karlawish, MD, associate professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, testified before the Committee, citing results from a series of his studies examining voting rights for the elderly. Karlawish, a member of Penn's Institute on Aging who specializes in older adult health care and related issues, recommends that to help break down the logistical and geographical voting barriers many older Americans face, the United States must develop a model for mobile polling. "Elderly voters -- especially elderly voters who live in long-term care settings -- are at the mercy of others when it comes to exercising their right to vote," said Karlawish. "Mobile polling means election officials or equivalent groups visit long-term facilities in their district prior to registration deadlines to encourage and solicit registrations," said Karlawish. Successful models of mobile polling currently exist in Australia and Canada, where it is the norm. Karlawish also proposed to the US Election Assistance Commission to conduct research to develop a set of best voting practices for long-term care facilities, training for election officials to implement them, and partner ships between the Commission and states to test their feasibility and refine them. The University of Pennsylvania Health System includes three hospitals --- its flagship hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, rated one of the nation's "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital; and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center --- a faculty practice plan; a primary-care provider network; two multi-specialty satellite facilities; and home care and hospice.
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