BMJ 1997;315:431 (16 August)

Letters

Changes in laws are necessary to allow patients detained under Mental Health Act to vote

Editor–Before the Representation of the People Act 1983 came into force many people with mental illness were denied the right to vote. Even after the act was passed it remained more difficult for people with mental illness to register to vote than it did for other people.1 Until recently, patients detained under the Mental Health Act had been assumed to be disenfranchised because they lacked a permanent address. Recently, the Home Office issued guidelines on the eligibility of people with mental illness to vote.2

The day after the general election we gave a questionnaire to 89 patients detained in a regional secure unit under the Mental Health Act. We wished to determine how many understood their right to vote in the general election, how many had wished to vote, and why they had not voted. Seventy three patients (82%) responded. Of these, 67 knew that the election had taken place, . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Measures are needed to allow elderly inpatients to vote in general elections
V Aylett, G Cook, and O J Corrado
BMJ 1998 316: 552. [Extract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Aylett, V, Cook, G, Corrado, O J (1998). Measures are needed to allow elderly inpatients to vote in general elections. BMJ 316: 552-552 [Full text]  
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