US Vote Blog

By Gavin Weise, U.S. Vote Foundation Civic Data Team

While the race for the White House and Congress gripped the nation in 2016, participation in – and even awareness of – local elections in the US has significantly declined in recent years, to an estimated average of 20% of registered voters...

Are you an American born abroad – a US citizen despite the fact that you never lived in the US? And does that mean you can cast a ballot in US elections? The answer is yes for some of you, and no, for others. How can that be?

A key factor for determining an overseas citizens’ voting eligibility is whether they meet the residency requirements of the state in which they are seeking to vote. For a “never resided” voter, their “Voting Address” is determined by their parent’s last address in the US. If their parents are from two different states, then the “never resided” voter can choose in which state they wish to vote. Imagine the decision if one parent’s last address was in Nevada and the other’s in Florida.

The Aftermath of House Resolution 634,
The Election Assistance Commission Termination Act, and the Future of the EAC

On February 7, 2017, the Committee on House Administration voted 6-3 in favor of dismantling the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC).[1] This vote was not without...

This article is by Adam Stone, Contributing Writer at GovTech.com. The article appeared on February 13, 2017. To see the original article on the GovTech.com website, please visit: https://www.govtech.com/dc/articles/using-tech-data-to-increase-voter-t…

To combat low voter turnout in local...

A new round of legislative reform is needed to ensure that the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and its progeny continue to play a vital role. In 2009, the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE) was passed as a much-needed, bipartisan reform to UOCAVA; and it has served as a mechanism to modernize key aspects of UOCAVA.

The MOVE Act’s creation was informed by years of research, including work by U.S. Vote Foundation’s (US Vote) Overseas Vote initiative (formerly Overseas Vote Foundation), and it has been demonstrably successful in accelerating the transition to online methods for most overseas and military voting processes across all states.

A brief look at the changing face of U.S. elections

On January 7^th, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security determined that US election systems (traditionally run by individual states with oversight by the Election Assistance Commission) should be considered to be part of the  “critical...

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.

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.

With the millions invested by the states and the Federal Voting Assistance Program (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.

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. We need to expand our thinking on what is holding back participation. Five Proposed Overseas and Military Voting Reforms follow.