CMS Rescinds Nursing Home Voting Memos, Shifts Ballot Help To Reps
CMS's new memo follows a Wisconsin sheriff's probe into mail ballots cast for residents with diminished mental capacity.
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Memo QSSAM-26-04-NH on July 20, 2026, citing 134 felony election-fraud counts in Texas.
- "CMS would also like to clarify that nursing homes may not engage in any activity that violates federal or state voting laws."
- 13 Senate Democrats led by Padilla and Warren demanded CMS rescind the memo August 13.
Why it matters: A felony case in Texas now decides how every nursing home resident casts a ballot.
CMS Memo QSSAM-26-04-NH, "Protecting the Voting Rights and Autonomy of Vulnerable Residents in Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities" (July 20, 2026) ↗ · Sep 16, 20269/16/26