Are cognitively impaired older adults able to vote?

The article focuses on the issue of the participation of cognitively impaired older adults in national elections. Two American studies, both conducted after the contentious 2000 U.S. presidential election, have examined factors that influence the participation of cognitively impaired older adults in national elections. In the first study, we investigated the level of knowledge about elected officials in community-dwelling older patients with cognitive impairment. The second study assessed voter participation. In the three months following the Belgian federal elections on May 18, 2003, demented outpatients were asked about their participation in the elections.