A Hospital-Based Emergency Voting Initiative for Election Day
Talia R. Ruxin, Sapna Ramappa, Madeline Feldmeier, Victoria Liu, Yoonhee P. Ha, Ilana Rebecca Garcia-Grossman · Health Equity · 2025
Introduction: Emergency voting services are available to hospitalized patients in many states, yet little is known about implementation or participating patients. Methods: During the March and November 2024 elections, volunteers at two University of California, San Francisco hospitals collaborated with the San Francisco Department of Elections to offer emergency voting services to 598 patients. Results: Among 101 participants, 28.7% were Black, 36.6% experienced housing instability, and 93.1% were publicly insured. Participants overwhelmingly agreed that hospitals should help patients vote. Discussion: Findings underscore hospitals’ role in expanding electoral access for underrepresented populations. Health Equity Implications: Hospital-based voting may address structural barriers and promote voting among historically underrepresented groups.