Health care providers and community groups might have another tool at their disposal this year to improve their clients’ health: voter registration.
While it is has been widely established that voting is good for a healthy democracy, one study suggests casting a vote in itself can improve individual health.
A 2001 study by Lynn Sanders, a professor of Political Science at the University of Virginia, found voting to have a positive impact on psychological health, particularly among those with “disadvantaged social status” or a history of mental distress.
When WebMD—a popular website that provides medical advice and information—interviewed Sanders, she explained, “I think that people who are on the wrong sides of the disadvantage divide, measured according to anything—health, income, quality of community, or job status—those are the people who stand to benefit most.” Another interviewee, psychologist and professor Marc Zimmerman, explained that control and empowerment in one’s own life are important to good health, and that engaging in the community (including by voting) is a way to become empowered.
Unfortunately, the minority and low-income groups that Sanders predicts will benefit most from voting are also among the least likely to register or cast a ballot. Today, just about one in every four people in the United States is not registered to vote. That rate is higher for Latino, Black, Asian American, and low-income citizens.
However, health centers, hospitals and community groups will continue to help millions of people sign-up for health coverage through the new state and Federally facilitated Health Benefit Exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act.
The enrollment process presents a remarkable opportunity to offer voter registration to some of the people who are least likely to have registered or voted in the past. In light of Sanders’ study, it is also an opportunity to improve the health of citizens most likely to enjoy the psychological benefits of voting.
Learn more about voter registration and health care exchanges here.
Photo by jamelah e. via Creative Commons.