SeniorLAW Center

Voting Rights

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GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 3, 2020

DEADLINE ALERTS

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

The Deadline for Registration is Monday, October 19th, 2020 .

If you plan to vote by mail-in ballot in the November 3, 2020 ELECTION:

Your application for a Ballot- must be received in the county office by 5:00 PM on Saturday October 10, 2020.

Your “voted” ballot -must be received in your county election office by 8:00 PM on Friday, November 6, 2020.

Keep checking back for updates.

If you have any questions about voting you can go to VotesPA.com.
Or call 1-877-VOTESPA (868-3772 )( you’ll hear a long recorded message, push prompt 3 to get to voting information)
.

HOW TO FIND OUT IF YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE
You can this link to see if you are registered to vote: www.pavoterservices.pa.gov

Or you can contact your county voter registration office by going to votespa.com
(On the homepage click the “contact your county election office” at the bottom to find the map with all 67 counties county election offices.
Or Call 1-877-VOTESPA

HOW DO I REGISTER TO VOTE

On Line: Go to www.votespa.com to download a blank voter registration form.
-You can submit your application on the website votespa.com

By Mail: You can download the application and deliver it to your county voter registration office.
You can mail the application to the county registrar but it must be received by Monday, October 19, 2020.
If you are on active duty in the military, or you are a hospitalized or bedridden veteran, you can register at any time. See www.fvap.gov for more information.

In Person:  you can go to your voter registration office, fill in paper application, give it to the clerk and you will receive your card in the mail. Call to find your county registration office by calling -1-877-VOTESPA.

DO I NEED TO UPDATE MY REGISTRATION?
You need to update your registration if you:
Moved or changed your address,
Changed your name,
Changed your political party.

YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IF:
You are over 18, A U.S. citizen and a resident of Pennsylvania at least 30 days before the next election.
If you have any questions, please call 1.877.VOTESPA (1.877.868.3772).

VOTING BY ABSENTEE OR MAIL IN BALLOT
A new Pennsylvania law allows you the choice of voting by mail-in ballot instead of going to your polling place and you do not need a reason for requesting a mail-in ballot. Although you will hear the terms interchangeably, there is no physical difference between absentee and mail in voting.

HOW TO VOTE BY MAIL IN BALLOT

If you are registered to vote you can apply online for a mail-in ballot in English and Spanish by going to ra-votereg@pa.gov.

Click here for further information on the process.

Don’t Forget: If you applied for an absentee or mail-in ballot for the June Primary, you need to apply again unless in you indicated you wanted permanent mail-in status.

Make sure you remember to sign your mail-in ballot and that it is placed inside the special sealed envelope which you then place in the outer envelope which is used to mail or hand in your ballot.

SeniorLAW Center’s Commitment to Voter Engagement

This year SeniorLAW Center has been actively engaged in the national fight to protect voting rights. During the June Primaries we were plaintiffs in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in a suit to protect the rights of older Pennsylvanians and others who were in danger of being disenfranchised under current deadline rules which require ballots be received by Election Day regardless of when they were sent. Our demand was that Pennsylvania allow all mail-in and absentee ballots sent or postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days to be counted during this public health emergency.

Our Executive Director Karen Buck wrote an Op- ed for The Philadelphia Inquirer setting forth 7 REFORMS THAT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR EVERYONE TO VOTE IN PENNSYLVANIA.

SeniorLAW Center continues to advocate for older people and vulnerable populations and access to voting during COVID-19. Because voting in person will pose grave risks to people’s health and lives, particularly older people, Americans will turn in unprecedented numbers to voting by mail instead, as they should.

This important guide from the ABA’s Commission on Law and Aging and Penn Memory Center offers tips on helping people with Alzheimer’s, other dementias and cognitive impairments vote within the limits allowed by election laws. Here is the guide.

________________________________________-__________________________
Frequently Asked Questions:
Go to this link for frequently asked questions on ways to vote early, how to know my vote is counted and other questions.
Keep checking back for updates.

For information about voting: VotesPA.Com

For full information on voting rights, click here: VOTING GUIDE 2020

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”blog-sidebar”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row disable_element=”yes”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Victim Services” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”8879″ img_size=”600×300″ alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space height=”15px”][vc_column_text]WE ARE PROUD TO BE LEADERS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ELDER ABUSE, A NATIONAL AND LOCAL CRISIS

PROJECT S.A.F.E. (“Stop Abuse and Financial Exploitation”)

It is estimated that 5 million seniors experience abuse each year in the United States; however only one in fourteen cases is reported to authorities. Elder abuse is also deadly: victims of elder abuse, neglect & financial exploitation are three times more at risk of dying prematurely. Twenty percent or 1 in 5 Pennsylvanians today are age 60 or older. By 2020, Pennsylvania’s 60 and older population is expected to be 25% of its total population – more than three million. Older adults are particularly susceptible to fraud, domestic violence, economic crimes and abuse, ranging from physical violence and abuse to financial exploitation, neglect of basic needs, and psychological injury.

  • Almost 90% of elder abuse involves a family member: two-thirds of those perpetrators are adult children or spouses.
  • Those 80 years and older are abused and neglected 2 to 3 times their proportion of the total elder population — and Pennsylvania’s over-85 age population is growing at 10 times the general population.
  • Those with the lowest incomes have the highest incidence of abuse; elders living on annual incomes of less than $15,000 account for 75.6% of the physical abuse and 77.7% of the financial abuse.
  • Elders are more vulnerable to theft: About 1 in 5 personal crimes against the elderly were thefts compared to 1 in 33 for persons age 12-49.

 

WHAT WE DO TO HELP

Launched in September 1996 with the award of an Independence Foundation Public Interest Fellowship, Project S.A.F.E. provides the following services for elderly victims:

  • Free legal representation and counsel to end abusive situations
  • Free legal representation and counsel to stop financial exploitation and to seek restitution
  • Community education and outreach to help prevent abuse and exploitation
  • Professional education and training to sensitize those working with elders
  • Advocacy to help stem the crisis of elder abuse
  • Partnerships with victim services colleagues, law enforcement, protective services and others interested stopping elder abuse

 

RESOURCES

https://www.identitytheft.gov/

https://www.ftc.gov/

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/

https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/

http://www.pcvainfo.org/

http://www.pcacares.org/services-for-seniors/protective-services/

 

(Link to current brochures)

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KEEPING ELDER VICTIMS OF FINANCIAL ABUSE S.A.F.E.

SeniorLAW Center is proud to serve seniors age 60 or older in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties, this project provides legal resources to older adults experiencing financial exploitation. There are currently over 100,000 seniors over the age of 65 in Bucks County and over 134,000 seniors over the age of 65 in Montgomery County. Nearly 15,500 of these seniors are living in poverty. There are approximately 16,500 seniors living below the federal poverty level, unable to afford to hire private attorneys, in Delaware and Chester counties.Given that 1 in 20 older adults have experienced some form of perceived financial mistreatment in the recent past and that financial exploitation is vastly underreported, thousands of seniors in these counties are encountering financial abuse.

 

WHAT WE DO TO HELP

This project will provide the following services:

  • Emergency legal advocacy, representation and interventions for elderly victims of financial exploitation, including protection from and remedies to address complex financial exploitation, identity theft, fraud and other crimes.
  • Counseling, support, advice, guidance and information/referral services for elderly victims of financial exploitation, linking them to other resources and support services, including emergency financial assistance, support groups, health services, lock changes, and other resources.
  • Immediate access to a legal representative for victims of abuse and exploitation through a special victims’ helpline as well as direct in-person services and representation.
  • Community education and outreach programs to help victims self-identify, and focus on assisting elders to recognize and understand elder financial abuse.

 

(Link to current brochures)

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STRENGTHENING ECONOMIC SECURITY OF OLDER VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Seniors 60 years of age and older experiencing intimate partner violence often find themselves facing economic hardships as a result of the violent situation. SeniorLAW Center is proud to provide enhanced critical services to older survivors of domestic and sexual violence to address the survivors’ housing, safety and economic security needs. Sexual abuse is the least reported form of elder abuse. Only 1% of reports made to Adult Protective Services are for sexual abuse although the incidence is thought to be much higher. A Virginia study found that nearly 71% of older victims were assaulted in nursing homes, nearly 15% in the home of a perpetrator, and just over 12% in their own homes. (Barriers to and Promising Practice for Collaboration Between Adult Protective Services and Domestic Violence Programs, NCEA, 2007).

 

WHAT WE DO TO HELP

This project provides a broad range of holistic services to address senior victims’ housing, safety and economic security, and to promote dignity and independence. These expanded services include:

  • Legal actions to assist survivors in having their abusers removed from their homes.
  • Spousal support actions.
  • Legal assistance with housing issues (including fraudulent deed transfers and ejectments) to guarantee that the senior survivor can remain in his/her home.
  • Legal assistance with consumer issues (including debt collection and consumer credit problems) caused by the abusers’ economic abuse.
  • Legal assistance to prevent or address abuse by Social Security Representative Payee and/or Power of Attorney.
  • Providing information on and assistance with emergency and other financial assistance for crime victims.

 

RESOURCES

Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline

Help is available! Call the citywide, 24-hour Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline (1-866-723-3014) anytime for crisis intervention, safety planning, resources and referrals. All calls are free, confidential and anonymous. http://www.womenagainstabuse.org/index.php/get-help/PDVH.

 

Women In Transition (WIT), http://www.helpwomen.org/.

Provides empowerment counseling, referrals and advocacy to women in Philadelphia who are endangered by domestic violence and/or substance abuse.

 

National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life

NCALL staff is available to provide information and resources about programming, outreach, collaboration, and policy development related to abuse in later life and elder abuse.

http://www.ncall.us/

 

National Center on Elder Abuse

The NCEA provides the latest information regarding research, training, best practices, news and resources on elder abuse, neglect and exploitation to professionals and the public.

https://ncea.acl.gov/

 

(Link to current brochures)[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Keeping Elder Veterans and Limited English Proficient Victims S.A.F.E.” tab_id=”1573547152035-2cd14bed-5c9b”][vc_column_text]

KEEPING ELDER VETERANS AND LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT VICTIMS S.A.F.E.

Elder abuse and financial exploitation cross every racial, ethnic and socioeconomic line. In every community, vulnerable seniors are facing physical, sexual and financial abuse. Both vulnerable groups to be served through this project, LEP seniors and older veterans face challenging obstacles when they become victims of elder abuse or financial exploitation. Those seniors with cultural differences and language difficulties are often unfamiliar with and untrusting of the U.S. legal system and unknowing of their rights. They may be fearful of reaching out to organizations not embedded within their immigrant community. As such fewer of these seniors may report abuse or financial exploitation leaving them highly vulnerable to victimization.

 

Likewise, senior veterans age 60 year or older who are victims of crime, including those suffering from mental health issues, are more isolated, disenfranchised and reluctant to reach out for assistance or to access the legal system. The veteran’s culture of Battlemind associates stigma with any weakness and often eschews seeking professional services even when in crisis. Older veteran victims need focused, sensitive and accessible services to meet their special needs.

 

WHAT WE DO TO HELP

This project will provide the following services for these communities:

  • Free legal representation and counsel to end abusive situations
  • Free legal representation and counsel to stop financial exploitation and to seek restitution
  • Community education and outreach to help prevent abuse and exploitation
  • Professional education and training to sensitize those working with elders
  • Advocacy to help stem the crisis of elder abuse
  • Partnerships with victim services colleagues, law enforcement, protective services and others interested stopping elder abuse

 

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