As Election Day looms, no doubt many readers are weighing whom to vote for in their House, Senate or gubernatorial races. But I’d make an argument that it’s equally important for long-term care readers to take a look at their respective state ballot items, as many could affect residents or employees.

Here are some examples:

An increase in minimum wage

Missouri has on the ballot Proposition B, which would gradually increase the minimum wage to $12 per hour by 2023. The first increase would start next year, with the minimum rising to $8.60 an hour. That could directly tie into operating budgets. For example, the low end of pay for dietary aides in Missouri is $8.03 per hour. It’s expected the minimum wage measure may be of particular interest to low-income voters in Kansas City and St. Louis.

In Arkansas, Issue 5, if approved, would raise the minimum wage to $11 by 2021. The minimum wage right now is $8.50.

Medicaid expansion

Idaho, Nebraska and Utah all have Medicaid expansion on the ballot. Long-term care operators often remain ambivalent about expanding Medicaid: While it could allow more state citizens to receive the skilled nursing care they need, others worry that it would come with strings attached or cause the state’s costs to balloon.

Utah’s plan, for example, would extend eligibility to those under 65 who earn less than $16,600 per year per individual/$34,000 for a family of four. Between 100,000 to 150,000 people would become eligible, and the costs would be offset by raising non-food sales taxes by 0.015%.

For its existing Medicaid expansion, Montana proposes raising tobacco taxes

Legalizing medical marijuana

Utah has this on the ballot, while North Dakota and Michigan are asking voters whether to legalize recreational use. In Wisconsin, 16 counties will vote on policy, some related to medical use.

Nurse-patient ratios

Gov. Charlie Baker (R-MA) has come out against a ballot initiative to limit the number of patients per nurse in a hospital.

Turnout for the midterm elections is historically low and obviously administrators want to remain neutral with relationship to political parties. But it’s your responsibility to know if a state has laws on the books for nursing home resident voting: For example, more than 20 states list absentee balloting procedures that specifically address absentee balloting by nursing home residents. 

It’s also appropriate to ask yourself how you personally will vote: Can you duck out during lunch, or go before or after work? Where is your polling place? Are you registered?

Since Illinois’ Cook County has early voting, my plan is to head to vote today with my baby. It’s never too early to talk to him about how voting is a privilege — one people have died for — and for him to meet the dedicated folks working the polls.

If you have a strategy around making sure you and your employees have time to vote, please make sure you share it in the comments below.

Follow Senior Editor Elizabeth Newman @TigerELN.