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Dementia And Voting

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shivvy | 23:26 Wed 08th Feb 2017 | Law
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At what stage (if any) are people with dementia unable to vote?
I haven't quite worded that properly, but when someone with dementia can no longer a) physically enter the booth and tick the box, and/or b) explain who they want to vote for - is the right to vote ever taken away from them?
I know that they can register for a postal or proxy vote but that requires a signature. If the person can no longer sign their name what happens then?
Is it similar to a Power of Attorney insofar as it has to be agreed/arranged while the person is of sufficient understanding?
Thank you.
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Some are very quick to offer opinions Shivvy even when none were asked for - you do what you think is best. You know Mum and that is the important thing. I wish you the best.
14:43 Sat 11th Feb 2017
No, they still have the right, they just can't exercise it.
and exploring.
Not being able to sign mentioned here.


https://tinyurl.com/ho6vpf7
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Yes, I have seen that mamyalynne however I think you also have to sign the form which nominates someone for the proxy vote which doesn't really get us any further forward unfortunately!
This is for my beloved mum who has late stage dementia. Up until now she has been able to go to the polling booth with one of us to assist but she has deteriorated a lot recently.
We live in Northern Ireland and our mum was so passionate about voting for the Alliance Party (cross-community) all her life so we would love for her vote to be registered.
We have Power of Attorney for her in her financial matters etc but apparently it doesn't apply to voting.
We have a vote here on 2nd March and the papers need to be submitted by close of business this Friday. Not sure that we are going to make it but it will probably be her last vote so it would be nice to be able to do it for her.
Ah the second form I linked to does not apply to Northern Ireland - sorry.
Question Author
We will phone the local electoral office in the morning for advice but I hope they won't say that she can't vote.
However I kind of understand if they do because I can see how we could be seen to be open to voting against her will.
Good luck with it.
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Thank you Mamyalynne
I am sure that there are ways for someone to vote on anothers behalf

( because a doctor ( narty narty bye) was convicted for offences connected. Voted for patients and 'they' checked with the patients who said no mate didnt do that. Postal votes ( a whopping 25% led to Rahman somebodys election being declared void - Lutfer - him)
sorry above shows you can do it lawfully
not that I think you are gonna misuse it
My Dad had Vascular Dementia so I got the postal vote for him.
He still watched the news and took an interest in politics, even though he had a 30-second memory.
I used to wait for one of his 'better' days and ask him who he'd vote for these days, as he'd always been a Labour man. Once he'd seen the candidates on the news, his memory was refreshed and I could ask him, "Would you vote for him/her?". I was then able to fill in the form and luckily, he could still write, even if the signature was very wobbly.
I can understand that a lot of people are in a worse situation. I'd just leave and not bother to vote unless I knew for certain what their wishes would be.
My sister mentioned David Cameron at the time, but he couldn't remember who he was. She said, "He looks like a giant pasty." My Dad replied, "Oh, yes, I know who you mean. No, I wouldn't vote for that idiot!" Still makes me laugh!
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We have sent off an application for a proxy vote so hopefully we will be able to vote for her.
Thanks for your replies.
Question Author
We have sent off an application for a proxy vote so hopefully we will be able to vote for her.
Thanks for your replies.
Fingers crossed.
In the early days my Mum got a postal vote sent to her, which she utilised after I went through with her all the options.
After that became impossible I phoned the Local Council to get the postal voting paperwork cancelled, and asked for her to be removed from the voters rill. I was advised that legally that could not be done, but if I ignored the form they had sent to renew postal vote it would lapse. I assume at the next election she will still get a polling card and will just be in the statistics of people who did not vote.
Don't know - but I helped out a neighbour in France, his bro. was on the local Council. They asked me to translate his leaflet into English for the UK residents in the commune - as a result I was on translator duty at the Salle for the vote itself. Quite an eye-opener!

The 'wrong' (actually just young and new) candidates were winning after the first round. I was (to use the vernacular) 'gobsmacked' by the 2nd round. Cars arrived and muscular men carried (honestly) frail, bed-ridden oldies - in their nightwear to the registration desk where they showed their identification, then (equally tenderly) they were taken to the booth, seated on the provided chair and a pencil put into their hands. The voting paper was then explained - with some emphasis.

So - my reasoning goes that the physically unable can enter the booth and tick the box. The jury is out on the second part of the question.

I am tempted to put a bet on Le Pen - fairly sure she will win 1st round, but as for 2nd round................it depends, I think.
Have you any way to prove who she would wish to vote for? I understand what you say about her association to the Alliance party but can you be CERTAIN she has not changed her mind?
Personally I would say that when someone has deteriorated to the point where he/she can no longer understand what they are doing or why they are doing it they should not vote as it requires them to make a conscious decision as to who to vote for.Can your Mum communicate in any way so as to be able to confirm who she wants to vote for?
How would it be if someone was alive but deeply unconscious in a coma, would you still put in a proxy vote for them based on who they supported before they went into the coma?
Jourdain
I think the Gt Reform bill 1832
they wre afraid they would lose their majority
so a dying MP was carried in on a paliasse to ast his vote in the lobby and died later on that night

I think
I now feel the need to check that PP - have an inkling that I have heard it somewhere before. It really was a very bizarre day.

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