Postal votes and Dementia sufferers

A person with dementia can vote regardless of their capacity. It is clearly stated in the Electoral Commission's guidance for Electoral Registration Officers that mental health conditions do not constitute a legal incapacity to vote, so a person would not be stopped from voting at the polling station.

So even if the person doesn't know what year it is, or who the PM is, or what their own address is, he or she can still cast their vote? How mad is that?

Agree Ana
So that is our dilemma
Its her right to vote.
but we can't tell her who we think she should vote for or where to put her cross
However she will ask us to tell her what to do.
The best we can say to her ' is put a cross in any box you want'
She is able to sign her name

Its not ours to throw away.

Just wondering how other GNers have resolved this issue

If you know what her preference would be, you should guide her.
The right to vote is fundamental in our society.
It should be withdrawn only for the gravest reasons. Just because a person is suffering with dementia, it does not mean that they have lesser rights than anyone else.

if she has always supported a particular party or poliicies then point her in that direction for her X ,she's still there inside the dementia and she is still allowed her opinion .Talk to her about voting in her youth and you'll suss out who she's for or against

Yes jane especially as women votes were hard won
To guide her what way?
Had she not succumbed to this awful disease she would taken various factors into the equation before making her mind up
And although she held political views they were not as far as we are aware to one party

We are allowed one vote
If I said think you should vote so and so ..
it could be said that I had another vote for my party of choice by default.

She sadly does not have the mental capacity to understand what each party stands for and how it will affect her
It is a moral dilemma I'm afraid

I have the same qualms Cherrytree59. Luckily mum hasn't wanted to vote - she is nearly blind so it may be easier to say she doesn't want to. She did want to vote in the referendum though and had her own reasons for doing so - although I wouldn't have asked. I have no idea if she will want to vote in the GE as she may not be as aware that it is happening - I haven't mentioned it. All her post comes to me but it is hers of course so I take anything like this over - I just deal with the bills, etc., so we she will be able to decide when the time comes.

My H has dementia and for the first time we have postal votes. He is still capable of knowing his choice, even if 3 minutes later he has forgotten what he has just done.
He has never not voted since he was old
enough to do so and will do it this time at age 81.
There will be no coercian on my part. At the time he casts his vote he will know what he is doing.
I never intend to disenfranchise him while he is able to decide.

Cherrytree by 'guide her' I meant if you know that she would have voted for a particular candidate, then point that out on the ballot paper.
In your OP you suggested 'reporting her to the local authority' and 'returning the voting papers'.

To me that sounded like the thin end of a dangerous wedge - the next thing could be a suggestion that all those below a certain IQ should be disenfranchised because they wouldn't be able to understand what they were voting for.

If you Google Criteria for Mental Capacity you might find the answer.

Sorry if it came across that way
Janeainsworth
My question was
If it was up to us to notify the appropriate voting 'people' of my MiL dementia.

No way do I or my DH ( her son ) wish to disenfranchise her -quite the contrary
We have only her best Interests at heart
What we have is a ballot for my MiL that she has no understanding of .
That is our dilemma.
Thank you kitty I will take you advice and look on Google

In practical terms, will her vote make that much difference to the outcome? Is she aware that the ge is imminent? Qill it stress her to have to choose, or to have not voted.

I don't think you have to tell the authorities but it might be worth ringing to find out.

As if the election wasn't causing enough aggro!