Happy National Voter Registration Day from everyone at U.S. Vote Foundation! If you are not yet registered to vote, do it now. If you need an absentee ballot, request it now! Remind your friends, family members, or co-workers who to register to vote – show them how – direct them to www.usvotefoundation.org.
By now, you’ve all heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. People from all over the world are filming themselves as they pour a bucket of ice water over their heads in order to raise awareness and money for The ALS Association, which is fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Upon completing the challenge, the drenched participant looks into the camera and tags additional people to complete the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Recently, U.S. Vote Foundation highlighted the uphill battle being fought by college students who have discovered that their university-issued identification cards and out-of-state driver’s licenses are not accepted at the polls in certain states. Congress has taken notice of these increasing claims of discrimination due to voter ID laws. Voter ID Bill HR 5144 was recently referred to the Committee on House Administration.
According to some metrics, the 113th Congress has legislated with less frequency than any other and focused more on battling over contentious partisan issues. However, on July 16, there was a breakthrough. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Voter Registration Bill HRES 672 was referred to the House Committee on Rules and Administration. This resolution provides a push to H.R.
The recent New York Times article, “Students Joining Battle to Upend Laws on Voter ID,” highlighted an unexpected segment of the population claiming discrimination due to voter identification laws. It was not the elderly. It was not a minority, either. No, not the poor. The latest group to band together and voice their concerns regarding voter ID requirements is college students.
As summer heats up, we see a similar heating building in the Congressional primary election season. There has been no shortage of unexpected election results, legislative battles, and innovative activity. Here is a recap of recent highlights:
As technology goes, so goes registering and voting. Like technology, voting is now more accessible to more Americans than ever before. Once constituting only occasional upgrades to voting machines at the polls, technological improvements now include websites, apps for smartphones, and the ability to reach Americans living, working, and serving in every corner of the globe. What once required a trip to City Hall or your local polling place may now, in many cases, be done with the click of a mouse.
Our friends at the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) recently released a report, A Model for Developing Estimates of U.S. Citizens Abroad: Final Technical Report, that presents a new model for developing estimates of American citizens living overseas. Among the report’s most eye-catching results, “the number of U.S.
We keep reading the gloomy predictions about how young Americans are going to sit out the midterms. If you read too much of it, you might even forget that Election Day is more than five months away, these are projections, and there is a lot you can do to participate and get others to vote as well.
If you have not yet heard of POPVOX, a comprehensive resource on current legislation, then you are missing out on a vital information resource. The site provides the forum for you to communicate your support or opposition to Congress about any particular bill.
