Blog

  • Announcing the 2018 "Study Abroad & Vote! ToolKit"

    American students are increasingly taking part in Study Abroad programs. During the 2015-2016 school year, the growth rate of students studying abroad was 3.8%. Of those 325,339 students, how many realized that they carried with them their right to vote?[1]

    U.S. students take part in summer, semester-long, or even entire school year programs to study in countries spanning Europe and Asia. The vast majority of these young men and women are of voting age and in this time of razor-thin margins in so many races, their votes could swing entire elections. In 2016, Donald Trump won Wisconsin by just over 20,000 votes and in 2008 Barack Obama won Indiana by just under 30,000.

  • Midterms 2018 - Request your Overseas Ballot

    By Andee Goldman, Overseas Vote, Regional Representative; contact: votingfromabroad@gmail.com

    Many overseas Americans are unaware that they can vote in the 2018 Federal Midterm Elections. Some don’t think their vote even matters, or that it is too hard.

    You are eligible to vote: if you are a US citizen, 18 years old or older on Election Day, and eligible in your state.  Midterm elections in 2018 will decide the composition and balance of power within congress. All 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate will be contested.

    Why should you vote?

  • "EVERY CITIZEN IS A VOTER" - Diary of a Fundraiser

    The Last Day of this campaign

    Dear Friends and Supporters -

    It has been an incredible journey, this first crowdfunding effort. Our Every Citizen is a Voter campaign proved itself as a compelling force which could drive a vision and action in many individuals. The Diary itself became its own adjunct project that brought in many fascinating and beautifully composed contributions. And I personally enjoyed keeping in touch all of you who are sustaining us.

    We raised $21,483 and it was an amazing experience.

    I have learned, there is never a time when you have nothing to give. You may not have money, per se, but you always have the Currency of the Thank You. That is the chief currency of U.S. Vote Foundation and our Overseas Vote Initiative. There is more gratitude here than I could ever have imagined. The most wonderful task of my day is to say thank you, over and over for the contributions our team, our advisors, our board members and all of the Friends of the Foundation - YOU.

  • The Key to Powerful Voting Apps: Good, Curated Election Data

    NEW! Civic Data API and Hosted Systems Website Goes Live

    US Vote’s new Civic Data and Hosted Systems Products and Services website welcomes civic tech developers, voter outreach organizations, and elections specialists to review and request API access to the data sets and systems that US Vote offers.

    The US Vote data sets include Election Dates and Deadlines, State Voting Requirements, Local Election Official Contact data, and Voting Methods and Options. The new site also presents US Vote’s custom Hosted Systems Solutions, most widely used for overseas voter outreach.

  • LOCelections - A New Initiative of U.S. Vote Foundation

    LOCelections logo

    Fixing the Problem of Low Voter Turnout in US Local Elections: A Data-driven Solution

    New LOCelections Whitepaper Now Available

    Early in 2016, U.S. Vote Foundation began a research and development effort into the area of local elections dates and deadlines information. We examined how best to create the nation's first reliable and comprehensive local elections database resource. The effort in now being developed into a full-scale initiative for the foundation, and an extension of our Civic Data and API offering. The new LOCelections Whitepaper discusses the challenge of low voter turnout in local elections and presents US Vote's rationale and strategy for this new initiative.

  • Demystifying Disability

    Creating better outreach and access for voters with disabilities

    By Genya Coulter, Twitter Goddess and Guest Blogger for U.S. Vote Foundation

    According to the American Association of Persons With Disabilities (AADP), 35.4 million people living with a disability were eligible to vote in 2016. That’s about one sixth of all eligible voters. If you add in those of us who are family members or caregivers, that total jumps to 62.7 million eligible voters. Organizations created for and by the disabled have done a spectacular job fighting against discrimination, barriers to physical  access, and plain old stigma and patronizing attitudes. In honor of their hard work and National Disability Voter Registration Week, here’s a practical guide for the election community to better serve a diverse and growing population of voters.

  • From the Battlefield to the Voting Booth

    Ideas on how best to serve disabled veterans

    By Genya Coulter, Twitter Goddess and Guest Blogger for U.S. Vote Foundation

    Members of the Armed Forces understand that putting duty and country before all else requires sacrifice. For those returning from service with some form of disability, their sacrifices and that of their families follow them daily. Some have lost limbs, some are paralyzed, and many have experienced traumatic brain injuries and PTSD. Others experience hearing or vision loss. Even if a service member has voted overseas with the help of Overseas Vote or the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), sometimes voter registration and voting get put on the back burner during the process of creating a new normal stateside.

    While the provisions set forth in the Help America Vote Act of 2002 ushered in many new voting accomodations for veterans living with disabilities, there is still room for improvement. Where can the election community make a positive and lasting difference for disabled American vets, present and future?

  • Identity Crisis: What happens when nobody knows who you are anymore?

    By Genya Coulter, Twitter Goddess and Guest Blogger for U.S. Vote Foundation

    Voter ID has elbowed its way into the forefront of many a conversation about voting rights. Whether for or against, there is no shortage of opinions about how it should be implemented, and how best to get an ID into the hands of voters who may not have an “acceptable ID” to vote with at the polls on Election Day.

    Mediating this discussion on the US Vote Twitter account has been a wake up call to just how disconnected many people are from the various realities that many Americans face in the pursuit of their right to vote. Yes, the vast majority of people have no trouble obtaining a government ID. However, there are few demographic groups that experience great difficulty getting one: namely, the elderly, disabled, minorities, refugees, and people not born in a hospital.

  • When Local Goes National: A brief overview of Georgia-06, South Carolina-05, and the joy of high voter turnout

    By Genya Coulter, Twitter Goddess and Social Media Liaison for U.S. Vote Foundation

    Local elections are now the subject of intense national focus. The Congressional race for Georgia’s District 6 was being hotly debated by people who weren’t even residents of Fulton, DeKalb, and Cobb counties. Financially, GA-06 is now the most expensive House race in U.S. History…before AND after adjustment for inflation.

    As of this writing, Republican Karen Handel, former Georgia Secretary of State, has been declared the newest Congressional representative for Georgia’s District 6, defeating Democrat Jason Ossoff 53% to 47%. Well over 259,000 ballots were cast in the runoff election, when the final mail ballots are tallied; the number is expected to top 260,000.

  • Official State Voter Turnout Rankings for 2016 Show Pathway to Increased Voter Turnout

    Guest Blog from Nonprofit VOTE

    We do not have to accept low voter turnout as an inescapable reality of American politics. States across the nation – with voter-friendly policies and meaningful competition – are providing a blueprint for the nation on how to achieve voter turnout in the 70 to 75% range. That’s the key message of a new report, “America Goes to the Polls,” from Nonprofit VOTE and the U.S. Elections Project.

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