Individuals residing in long-term care settings encounter numerous obstacles when trying to exercise their right to vote. Many face transportation barriers, forced to rely on others to access their polling location. Others experience accessibility challenges navigating and completing required paperwork or needing assistance to read or mark their ballots. Many residents must depend on facility staff to obtain voting materials, request mail ballots, or to access other community support.
The passage of the SAVE America Act adds another layer of difficulty. If enacted, this legislation will require individuals to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship (such as a birth certificate, passport, or naturalization papers) before registering to vote in federal elections. This means if someone changes their address, including when moving into a long-term care facility, they would be required to provide a birth certificate, passport, or naturalization papers before registering to vote in federal elections.
For nursing home residents and others receiving long‑term services and supports, these documents are often extremely difficult, and in many cases impossible, to access. Many older adults no longer have their original birth certificates, cannot afford or obtain a passport, or face medical and transportation barriers that prevent them from retrieving or replacing these documents.
Requiring such paperwork would effectively disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of older adults and people with disabilities living in long‑term care or receiving care at home.
Many advocates, including Consumer Voice, oppose the SAVE America Act because of the harm it would cause to older Americans’ ability to participate in our democracy.
The SAVE America Act is headed for a vote in the Senate this week. Call your Senators today and remind them that nursing home residents have the right to vote. Urge them to say NO to the SAVE America Act and protect the voting rights of older adults and people with disabilities.
Resources
- Access more information, including tools and resources regarding voting rights for residents of long-term care facilities.
- On January 30, 2026, H.R 7296 passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The Senate version, S.128, was introduced and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration last year. There has been increasing pressure from the President for the Senate to pass S.128.
- Take action now and contact your U.S. Senator to oppose any legislation that requires residents residing in long-term care facilities to present documentary proof of U.S citizenship.
- Tell your U.S. Senator that they need to protect Older Americans’ right to vote by opposing any legislation that would restrict their voting rights. Contact your U.S. Senator by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or click here to send an email.
