At age 69, Richard had never voted. He’d always wanted to, but he didn’t know how, and he was intimidated to try. There was a big election coming up and Richard knew who he wanted to vote for, he just didn’t know how to go about it. When Richard mentioned this to Kyle, his Milestone Case Manager, Kyle got right on it.
Milestone Behavioral Health Case Managers work with clients who are over the age of fifty-five, who are living in the community and have a mental health diagnosis. Our Behavioral Health clients are referred to us through Integrated Services of Kalamazoo (ISK). Our Case Managers help clients navigate various systems and advocate for their needs so that they can get the supports they need. Voting was just another system to navigate, and Kyle was there to help.
Kyle helped Richard get registered to vote and went with him to his voting location on election day. Richard knew who he wanted to vote for, but he was not able to independently read the ballot and complete it correctly. When they arrived at the election poll, two election officials (one from each major political party) oversaw the process as Kyle read the ballot and Richard cast his vote; the process was handled very professionally and completely within election guidelines.
Richard was so excited to finally have voted and let his voice be counted! When he told the election officials that it was the first time he’d ever voted, they didn’t just give him an “I Voted” sticker, they gave him a whole sheet of them!
