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Article
Addressing the Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues Raised by Voting by Persons with Dementia
Center for Bioethics Papers
  • Jason H Karlawish, University of Pennsylvania
  • Richard J Bonnie, University of Virginia - Main Campus
  • Paul S Appelbaum, University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester
  • Constantine Lyketsos, Johns Hopkins University
  • Bryan James, University of Pennsylvania
  • David Knopman, Mayo Clinic
  • Christopher Patusky, University of Pennsylvania
  • Rosalie A Kane, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
  • Pamela S Karlan, Stanford University
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
9-1-2004
Abstract

This article addresses an emerging policy problem in the United States participation in the electoral process by citizens with dementia. At present, health care professionals, family caregivers, and long-term care staff lack adequate guidance to decide whether individuals with dementia should be precluded from or assisted in casting a ballot. Voting by persons with dementia raises a series of important questions about the autonomy of individuals with dementia, the integrity of the electoral process, and the prevention of fraud. Three subsidiary issues warrant special attention: development of a method to assess capacity to vote; identification of appropriate kinds of assistance to enable persons with cognitive impairment to vote; and formulation of uniform and workable policies for voting in long-term care settings. In some instances, extrapolation from existing policies and research permits reasonable recommendations to guide policy and practice. However, in other instances, additional research is necessary.

Comments
Suggested Citation:
Karlawish J.H., Bonnie R.J., Appelbaum P.S., Lyketsos C., James B., Knopman D., Patusky C., Kane R.A, and Karlan R.S. (2004) Addressing the ethical, legal, and social issues raised by voting by persons with dementia. JAMA Vol. 292(11). pp.1345-50.

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/292/11/1345
Keywords
  • dementia,
  • voting,
  • long-term care,
  • competency
Citation Information
Jason H Karlawish, Richard J Bonnie, Paul S Appelbaum, Constantine Lyketsos, et al.. "Addressing the Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues Raised by Voting by Persons with Dementia" (2004)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/bryan_kane/111/