Encouraging Online Voter Registration of Nevada Physicians - A Challenge in Apathy?

Abstract

Encouraging Online Voter Registration of Nevada Physicians A Challenge in Apathy? Sein Tun, MS, OMS-II; stun@student.touro.edu Hao Luong, MS, OMS-II; hluong2@student.touro.edu Weldon E Havins, MD, JD, LLM, FCLM, Emeritus Professor Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine, Henderson, Nevada Voting is the most basic way a citizen can have his or her voice heard. It is also one of the easiest ways for an individual to participate in changing or maintaining the legislation. Voting registration and participation can allow citizens to have a direct impact on the healthcare system, which is an essential aspect of policy making within the United States’ political system. Physicians are the most equipped with knowledge about the healthcare system, therefore, there is a need to increase voting amongst physician populations. Physicians’ votes and influence on health policy impact not only the medical community but their patients as well. To improve the healthcare system for both physicians and their patients, the candidates chosen to become legislators must align with the views held by their constituents. As registered voters and constituents of an Assemblyperson and a Senator, physicians can actively voice their concerns and ideas that could potentially contribute to new and improved legislation. However, the first and most important step in getting involved is to register to vote. When compared to other higher education professionals such as lawyers, physicians are less active in politics. This needs to be improved because healthcare policy contributes to a large portion of political discussion. In order to promote physician engagement in politics, there must be promotion of registration to vote. One benefit is that it is especially easy to register now because it can be done conveniently online. This study aims to improve physician voter registration outcomes by identifying physicians in Clark County who are not registered voters and contacting them to discuss the importance of voting and how to register online. However, because of limited information available from the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) databases, the only feasible method of contact to physicians is through mailing physical letters to their work offices. The method utilized in this study is not effective because it lacked sufficient time to allow the letters to be received by physicians before the data was 2021 American College of Legal Medicine JOURNAL OF LEGAL MEDICINE 2021, VOL. 41, NO. S1, 47–48 https://doi.org/10.1080/01947648.2021.1914492 analyzed. Although this study could not prove that mailing letters to the physicians’ office of practice is an adequate method, it did show that approximately 74% of physicians in Clark County are registered voters, which is of higher percentage than the general population of Nevada. Nonetheless, this number does not account for other variables that may influence lack of voter participation amongst physicians such as time constraints due to work commitments. Recommendation for modifications to future studies are included in order to refine the methods used. In spite of the lack of significant results, this research is intended to stimulate physician voter registration and there is hope that at the very least, the sent letters have increased physician awareness and inspire them to register to vote and participate in future elections. References available upon request. 48 ABSTRACT