Mentally Incapacitated Voters

No, not a joke about Republicans. That would be too easy.

As I was just coming back to the office from lunch, I ran into our neighborhood homeless "touched" dude who was doing the usual spouting off about the tri-lateral commission, Nixon, and the Queen. To make a long story short, his musings reminded me of a story I read a couple of days ago in the WaPo.

It seems that mentally disabled people are still allowed to vote. Get this:

As swing states with large elderly populations such as Florida gear up for another presidential election, a sleeper issue has been gaining attention on medical, legal and political radar screens: Many people with advanced dementia appear to be voting in elections -- including through absentee ballot. Although there are no national statistics, two studies in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island found that patients at dementia clinics turned out in higher numbers than the general population.

About 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia. Florida alone has 455,000 patients, advocates estimate.

Jesus H!

How do these folks manage to vote when they can't remember when to flip their fried baloney sandwiches? According to the article, their friends and relatives vote for them:

"I said 'Did he pick?' and she said 'No, I picked for him,' " Swerdloff said. "I felt bad. She essentially voted twice" in the Florida election, which gave George W. Bush a 537-vote victory and the White House.

.........

"I have had caregivers accompany dementia patients into the booth and vote for them," said Jean Merget, a social worker at the North Broward Memory Disorder Center in Pompano Beach, Fla., who said she repeatedly heard of the practice during support group meetings. "This is not uncommon, especially in Florida."

Fucking hell, you say? Me, too.

The obvious ethical question that arises from this type of story is how do we decide who is mentally capable of making their own rational decision in an election and who isn't? Is an Alzheimer's patient any less qualified to vote than say ... someone who has received a poor education and doesn't follow the issues very closely?

Hmmm. That's a tough one. What do you think?

Comments

[sam]

oh shit. it looks like if you add up the mentally disabled, the black disenfranchised voters, the chads, etc., Gore probalby won by more than a million votes in FL.

So much for democracy.

[pissed off patricia]

Maybe we should be required to take IQ tests before we vote. It couldn't hurt, but of course it isn't going to ever happen. I think I'm more worried about the votes of those who appear to be coherent but still believe that bush and god are working hand in hand.

[david]

Here's one for you missy, a vote for George Bush is an early stage Alzheimer warning sign. Look it up..

They really are taking over the Asylum

From 'The London Evening Standard' 16/09/04

Mentally ill will be allowed to sit as MPs*
By Ben Leapman,
A rule that bans the mentally ill from sitting as MPs is to be relaxed in a shake-up of mental health laws.

An outright bar on MPs "of unsound mind" will be replaced by a test that allows them to carry on so long as they are able to turn up at Westminster. The change would allow politicians suffering severe mental illness to remain in the Commons for years, even if they could not understand debates and were undergoing compulsory treatment in the community. The proposal is part of the draft Mental Health Bill unveiled by Health Secretary John Reid last week.

The new law would extend the recovery period from six months to a year. The MP's seat would only then be declared vacant if the illness was judged "likely to affect to a significant extent the member's ability to attend the legislature".

(* Member of Parliament)

There is a question of taking 'Inclusion' too far. I thought it only applied to High Court Judges.

[Amy]

The whole thing seems shady to me.

To me it sounds like an abuse of the system -- and all those who are responsible for placing votes on behalf of those who are not capable of making such a weighted decision, should be ashamed of themselves.

[Linnet]

Unless you need to be hospitalized for your mental condition because you are dangerous to others, you should be able to vote.

Otherwise people in power will use the "mentally unable" excuse to prevent undesirables from voting. The poor and minorities will be the worst victims. I'd rather have a few less-than-on-the-ball people voting than have any sane people prevented from voting.

[jaja]

can someone tell me the difference between non english speaking voters(illegal imigrants) and a mentally ill american citzen? Every American citizen has a right to vote(even if its their family member casting the vote for them). My cusin came back from the war with head injuries that caused him to have mental health issues. I could cast a vote for him, because I know him and I know what he stands for. This soldier voted before he put his live on the line for us, and he still has that right. So what! if he chooses to vote for the wrong president! hes already paid his price! the least you can do for him is to put your neck out there for him, as he did for you. It's the AMERICAN WAY! Our soldiers that are fighting for us over seas this very moment, more than half of them will come back with mental health issues. They have absolutely every right to vote! they've more than earned that right! They risked their lives for our freedom, they've died for this country. How dare anyone tell them that they can't vote! I think we have bigger problems and issues with the imigrants voteing, than we have with people that have mental disorders. I think peoples focusing on the wrong thing! American citizen is American Citizen. I guess we should not let crippled people vote either because they might not punch the voters card right or clean off the paper from the hole punch. GO FIGURE....