Here are the most commonly asked Domestic and Overseas Absentee Ballot questions from our Voter Help Desk. Have a look and see if your question is answered.
The team at U.S. Vote Foundation and Overseas Vote work round the clock to personally answer voter questions through our Voter Help Desk. To save you time: Here are answers to 2016’s top 10 most common voter questions!
1. Did I miss the deadline?
Assume nothing! You may still have time to register or request a ballot! Election deadlines vary significantly across the states. And even more so for overseas voters.
Check your state's Election Dates and Deadlines right away and see for yourself!
If you find there is time to register or request your ballot – get going right away.
U.S. Vote Foundation's Civic Data API Drives the New GoVoteBot Solution
The 2016 election season has been unlike any other in more ways than one - and believe it not, some of them are positive! Chief among the positives is the new GoVoteBot from R/GA and the Ad Council. With the aim of increasing voter participation in the Fall 2016 Presidential Elections, the two innovative firms teamed up to bring forward a solution to navigating the quagmire of voter dates, deadlines, requirements and regulations.
As President and CEO of U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote), I would venture to say it's the coolest new voter tool of 2016.
Time is of the essence — the General Election is November 8th. Every vote is important. A simple mistake could be made that disqualifies you from absentee voting. Submitting to your State, a Voter Registration and Absentee Ballot Request (FPCA), does not always mean you are registered. Mail is lost, or questions go unanswered. While there still is time: verify that you are registered:
1. Go to the State Voting Requirements page; enter your state and hit Submit. Scroll down and click on "Am I Registered - State Lookup Tools". The link should take you to your state's service that will look up your voter registration status. If you are an active voter, it should indicate that. There may also be a "Where's My Ballot" service from your state (not all of them have this), but if so, it will be located there.
2. In addition, you may also want to call your Local Election Office to check that your application was accepted and your ballots will be sent. Go to the Election Official Directory: Enter your state and county (or city/town, depending) , and hit Submit. Then you should have the contact information.
No pretty infographic or careful structuring of the informational can hide the tragic fact that even in the last General Election Year of 2012, the OVERSEAS VOTER TURNOUT = 4%. Or, maybe up to 5% in a General Election year. That is (should be) the real headline.
With the millions invested by the states and the FVAP to run the overseas voting program, and with all that has been invested in civic technology by our foundation as well.... That's it? Yes, that is it.
The FVAP document confirms demographic and other information that our foundation already knew from a decade of research and surveying overseas voters. Unfortunately it fails to focus deeply enough on the nonparticipation issue and what can be done about it. The sad reality is that even with the improvements in technology and communications to date, we have not solved the real problems behind the low participation rate of this voting block. Accepting the status quo won't work. We need to expand our thinking on what is holding back participation.
5 Proposed Overseas and Military Voting Reforms follow.
This blog by our dedicated volunteer in Israel, Andee Goldman, originally appeared in the Times of Israel on September 15, 2016.
When Americans go to the polls to vote in November, their history should not be forgotten. The American national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was written on September 14, 1814 by Francis Scott Key, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships in the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the large American flag, flying triumphantly above the fort during the fight and victory.
“And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
Many men and women gave not only their time, but their lives to fight and defend American FREEDOM. In honor of veterans, a number of states offer, a little known program called, “Vote in Honor of Veterans”.
Please join us to reach out to others in this voting action. We have created this special badge for you to promote voting today and beyond.
Right click on the image, save it and then re-use it in your social media and outreach to other voters.
We...
The November 8, 2016 Presidential Election is on track to be a historical one with a campaign unlike anything the country has ever seen before, a major party’s first female candidate, and a growing number of people pledging to vote for a third party. It’s undeniable that the stakes are high, and as...
U.S. Vote Foundation’s Election Official Directory (EOD) is a crowd-sourced database with 7,825 extensive records. The “crowd” comprises Local Election Officials (LEOs) across the US who regularly update their jurisdiction contact data.
In 2010, the foundation began tracking response rates to update requests that go to LEOs. In the last five years since, the response rate to the update requests doubled from 30 percent to 60 percent. This is a story of dedication in pursuit of an idea and its implementation.