Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, has announced guidance reinforcing protections for vulnerable voters. This includes reiterating that residents have the right to vote, to not vote, and to receive lawful assistance without coercion and improper influence.
The Election Integrity Network is also encouraging to families who have loved ones in long-term care to ask management who is helping residents register and vote, what safeguards protect residents (especially those with cognitive decline), how the facility ensures that resident's choices are respected, and whether candidates or advocacy groups are receiving special treatment.
Dr. Oz and CMS have released guidance reinforcing protections for vulnerable voters. Residents have the right to vote, decline to vote, and receive lawful assistance without coercion or improper influence.
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) October 7, 2026
Facilities cannot register residents without their knowledge and consent… pic.twitter.com/RHlNbXBflv
"CMS also expects facilities to notify authorized representatives when residents’ voting-related legal or civil rights change and encourages cooperation with bipartisan election workers where permitted by law.Protecting vulnerable voters means protecting their independence and access to voting. Assistance should never become someone else making the decision.Know the safeguards. Ask questions. Make sure your loved one’s voice remains their own," Grage wrote.
"We need to make sure that people who live in nursing homes are not having their votes stolen," said Cleta Mitchell of the Conservative Partnership Institute. "We have a Protect Vulnerable Voters toolkit that is based on the new guidance that Dr. Oz issued, from CMS in July of this year that creates some new guardrails around people coming into nursing homes and basically stealing the votes of elderly people in nursing homes."
"It's hundreds of votes," she continued. "It can be hundreds of votes, maybe thousands of votes in a given congressional district. So you want to make sure that the wrong people don't get elected, go protect those people in the nursing homes. We've got the tools to tell you how to do it."
Every senior home in MN has staff go around and filling out the residents ballots, its filled with fraud.
— Cryptocoolidge (@bstdk) October 7, 2026
We would not be surprised if this were true.
As Mitchell pointed out, nursing homes in a given congressional district can account for hundreds, if not thousands, of votes. That could potentially flip a seat in a close race.