“To say I’m outraged is a massive understatement.” Michelle Byram discovered her mother, Kathy Lennon, had voted absentee at a Bangor, Maine, care facility in 2016—after seeing an “I voted” sticker. Her mother had Alzheimer’s. Michelle questioned whether she understood the choices: “I’m pretty confident that she couldn’t even name a candidate.” Officials said municipal staff administered voting and that Alzheimer’s alone did not disqualify her. Michelle’s experience carries a clear lesson: Families cannot assume how voting will be handled. Ask questions before ballots arrive. Who offers assistance? How is consent confirmed? Are the voter’s own instructions followed? Can they freely decline? Download the Protecting Vulnerable Voters Toolkit linked in the comments and help strengthen safeguards in your community. Protect the person. Protect their choice. Source: Bangor Daily News bangordailynews.com/2016/11/…

1/7 Protecting vulnerable voters starts with knowing the safeguards—and what to do when they are missing. Here are five simple steps for families, volunteers and concerned citizens. 🧵

Noncitizens were never eligible to be added to the rolls in the first place!

A vulnerable voter is any eligible voter whose age, disability, language, living situation, dependence on others or personal circumstances may make that person a target for coercion, exploitation, manipulation or abuse. This may include: * Elderly voters, particularly those living in nursing homes or assisted-living facilities * People with intellectual or developmental disabilities * People experiencing dementia, memory loss or cognitive impairment * Voters with physical, visual, hearing or communication disabilities * Citizens with limited English proficiency or limited literacy * Residents of group homes, shelters and other institutional settings * People who depend on caregivers, guardians or facility staff for access to registration forms or ballots Being vulnerable does not mean a person is incapable of voting. These citizens retain the right to participate, receive lawful assistance, make a private and independent choice—and decline to vote. Federal guidance protects accessible voting and language assistance. CMS has also reaffirmed that nursing-home residents must be free from interference, coercion and unauthorized action. Assistance must empower the voter. It must never allow another person to register, pressure, direct or cast a ballot on the voter’s behalf without proper knowledge and authorization. Protect the person. Protect their choice. YOU can help protect vulnerable voters in your community! Download the Protecting Vulnerable Voters Toolkit and learn how to engage in your community: electionintegritynetwork.org…

CISA’s new 2026 Election Infrastructure Security Plan puts a welcome focus on something every voter deserves: results that can be checked. The plan recommends: ✅️ Hand marked paper ballots that can be reviewed ✅️ Manual audits before final results are certified ✅️ Transparency through clear records of security incidents and the steps taken to fix them. It also encourages election software providers to supply a software bill of materials—an ingredient list showing what is in their products. Paper ballots. Manual Audits. Clear records. That is a common sense direction for election security. 🎉 We celebrate President Trump and Secretary Mullin’s leadership in returning CISA to its core mission to protect critical infrastructure. Read the plan here: xitter.cf/secmullindhs/status/21…