Easy access to voting, such as through ballot dropoff boxes, can boost voter participation, according to a new democracy index.
Photo by Michele Late
One way communities can improve health is through the ballot box.
A new Health and Democracy Index from Healthy Democracy, Healthy People, a nonpartisan coalition of civic and public health organizations, illustrates the connection between voting and health.
Dawn Hunter, JD, MPH, lead author of the index, said the aim is to promote strengthening civic engagement to improve health outcomes.
“We want this index to help build public understanding of and commitment to inclusive civic participation by expanding the narrative about voting to include the impact on our collective health,” Hunter, director of the Network for Public Health Law’s southeastern region office, told The Nation’s Health.
By measuring 12 important public health indicators — including mental health reporting, lack of health insurance and infant mortality — against voting policies such as Voter ID laws and same-day voter registration, the index is able to draw a link between health and ballot box access.
“The relationship between voting and health is bidirectional,” said Hunter, an APHA member. “That is, voting affects the adoption or rejection of policies that impact individual and community health. Those policies then shape who is more likely to vote and continue to do so across their life span.”
The index highlights successes in states such as Colorado, which has implemented policies in recent years to promote voting access and is moving forward with new programs, such as automatic voter registration through Medicaid offices.
However, many other states are enacting voting restrictions likely to reduce civic engagement. States with restrictive laws also consistently measure poorly in key areas of health — a compounding problem. Public health advocates can make inroads in those states by addressing barriers to civic participation, such as lack of transportation and access to public buildings.
“We have to know what’s going on in our communities, we have to care enough to do something about the things that matter to us, and we have to take action and encourage others to do the same,” Hunter said.
Attendees at APHA’s Annual Meeting and Expo can learn more about voting and health from Hunter and other experts during virtual session 4228 on Oct. 26. For more information on the index, visit www.healthydemocracyhealthypeople.org.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
