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The Trump administration has quietly changed guidance on nursing home residents' right to vote, folding in increased warnings about fraud and coercion.
Why it matters: The move could signify that officials will keep a close eye on long-term care facilities during the midterm elections.
Driving the news: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services this week replaced a 2024 memo to state nursing home inspectors reminding them that facilities must ensure residents have the ability to vote.
- A special alert issued Monday still says nursing homes are required to preserve residents' right to vote and doesn't change underlying policy.
- But it adds that nursing homes can't "engage in inappropriate coercion or other violations of residents' rights" in an effort to help residents vote.
Zoom in: Monday's memo cites two incidents as evidence that election fraud is occurring at nursing homes, including a case in Texas where a social worker was charged with illegally registering residents of a supportive living center to vote.
- It also mentions a case in Wisconsin where officials investigated voter fraud at a care center. Charges were not filed in the Wisconsin case, although this isn't mentioned in the memo.
The old memo outlined ways nursing homes could help residents vote, including mobile polling conducted by bipartisan workers or assistance with voter registration or obtaining an absentee ballot.
- The new guidance doesn't outline those options but says CMS encourages nursing homes to coordinate with state election officials to bring in election workers who can facilitate voting without relying on facility staff.
What they're saying: Nursing homes "are committed to ensuring that residents retain their statutory and constitutional right to vote, while taking appropriate steps to maintain the integrity of the voting process," said Holly Harmon, a senior vice president for the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living.
