Oregon Nursing Home Residents Use iPad to Vote

A small pilot program involving nursing homes in five Oregon counties made voting in last week’s elections a cinch for residents. Instead of heading out to the polls, they voted via iPad tablet notebooks.

According to an article on McKnights Long-Term Care News & Assisted Living, election officials brought iPads and portable printers to the nursing homes and community senior centers. This allowed the state’s elderly and disabled constituents to vote in an election that replaced one of their state representatives.

Voting with the iPad gave those who are visually impaired the option to increase the ballot’s font size as well as adjust the screen color to enhance readability. The iPads could also read each candidate’s name and information about them to the voter. A “sip-and-puff” device used to control the iPad’s screen was beneficial for those with mobility difficulties.

We applaud Oregon election officials and their efforts to assist the elderly to vote. We look forward to these changes happening here in Pennsylvania.