The New York State Mental Health Advocacy Network 
Are you a person with direct lived mental health experience and you live in the state of New York?

The NYS Mental Health Advocacy Network invites you to: 

1. A weekly Zoom information sharing meeting on mental health politics, advocacy skills and welcoming community:

When: Tuesdays starting February 18, 2025 from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM Eastern Time 
Around 6pm each week will be time for announcements from community mental health organizations and activists. This section of the meeting will be recorded to share with others for that week. Other parts of the meeting will not be recorded. 

Register in advance for the meetings by signing in here (the same Zoom link is used each week.)

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/R3Q69L_1SqiLUIR_dMnNNg 

2. A New York peer state listserv to share information on politics, advocacy skills and a welcoming community. Sign in here to be added to the list. 

Let's share information and inspiration. We then co-create the peer leadership that will take us all to new mental health successes. 



Voting is For All, Yes! 
(A Project of Kasper Connects)
The following sites can be used to download registration forms from each state, learn how register and vote while in a hospital. There are videos that can be used in groups to discuss how to vote including rank voting, and messages from leaders including Pat Deegan. The last link from MHANYS is a comprehensive site of how to vote for peers in New York State. * If you have other voting resources to add, please let us know at ann@kasperconnects.com    

Voter Registration Information including Voters Who are in Mental Health Inpatient Settings

Anyone in a psychiatric facility in the United States is allowed to vote. Be aware that each state has different voter registration deadlines. 
1. Voting in Your State (links to downloadable registration forms and information by each state): https://www.nonprofitvote.org/voting-in-your-state/?gad_source=1

2. Vote if you are a hospital patient (information for some states is not complete): https://www.patientvoting.com/

3. League of Women Voters - How to Volunteer to Help Voting: https://www.lwv.org/blog/5-ways-volunteer-voting-rights

4. How to find your government representatives: https://www.lwv.org/take-action/find-your-elected-officials

5. Register to Vote (by State): https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/get-voteready

6. National Disability Rights Network Voting Info: https://www.ndrn.org/voting/

7. Options for Healthy Voting: https://www.healthyvoting.org

Defending Your Right to Vote
8. State Laws Affecting the Voting Rights of People with Mental Disabilities (Bazelon Center, 2020) https://www.bazelon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Survey-of-State-Laws-Affecting-Voting-Rights-of-People-with-Disabilities-2020-Update-FINAL.pdf
9. US Department of Justice: https://www.ada.gov/resources/protecting-voter-rights/#federal-laws-protecting-the-right-to-vote
10. American Civil Liberties Union, Voting Information Tool (searchable by state): https://all.votinginfotool.org/
11. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law:  https://www.bazelon.org/our-work/voting/

Voter Education Subjects
1. The Electoral College, Simplfied https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/the-electoral-college-simplified/
2.  Mental Health America Voting Guide and Resources: https://mhanational.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/MHA-Voter-Guide-2024.pdf
3. Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Programs https://www.samhsa.gov/paimi-program

Videos
1. What is Ranked Choice Voting? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z2fRPRkWvY
2. Raising Our Voices: Voting and Civic Engagement in the Mental Health Community (The Alliance on Rights and Recovery /NY): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61gu_GGTYGw 
3. Vote Like Your Mental Health Depends on It Youth Election Town Hall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOoAnezd6-s&pp=ygUZTWVudGFsIGhlYWx0aCB2b3RpbmcgcGVlcg%3D%3D 
4. Chicago Newsroom 2.0 - Election Stress and Anxiety https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_We2Xr5f6hc&pp=ygUUTWVudGFsIGhlYWx0aCB2b3Rpbmc%3D
5. Voting is My Voice - Pat Deegan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PpNMbiLMo4

Specific Programs for Persons with Mental Health Lived Experience in New York State
1. MHANYS Lived Experience Voter Empowerment Project: https://mhanys.org/voter-empowerment-project
2. Democracy Works includes links for registering to vote online, how to vote in different situations and more NY information.
https://voting.democracy.works/en/register/ny.html

New York Voter Registration Dates:
In-person at local election office ,   Online  and By mail (received by) is Saturday, Oct 26, 2024.  





 Thank you to R.W. Manderscheid for several of these links.