US Vote Blog

For democracy to thrive, citizens must be reliably informed between elections in order to prepare to effectively participate at the ballot box. With that in mind, U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) is excited to announce our new Civics Crash Course initiative.

In US Vote’s Civics Crash Course blog series, our in-house political scientists explain how your vote interfaces with our system of government.
- What power does your vote hold in America?
- How does American democracy function?
- How can citizens participate between elections?

Our Civics Crash Course unpacks these questions and more!

On behalf of the millions of American citizens living overseas, including tens of thousands of service members, their spouses, and family members, we strongly urge you to oppose the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, H.R. 22 / S. 128.

We are proud to represent the United States, both formally and informally, abroad. Americans living overseas, including U.S. service members and their families, are citizens fiercely committed to American democracy. Yet the SAVE Act does not make possible, or even account for, our participation in American elections.

Instead of making it easier for Americans to make their voices heard, or strengthening the security of our elections, the SAVE Act would decimate our members’ ability to register and vote.

In an election, the candidates must agree to the rules before the race begins. A candidate who waits until they’ve lost the race to claim that the rules were not fair isn’t merely a sore loser, but a threat to the free and fair elections that form the bedrock of our democracy.

Jefferson Griffin lost his November 5, 2024, race for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court to Justice Allison Riggs by 734 votes. It was a close race, and close races are tough to lose. But instead of graciously congratulating his opponent and conceding, Mr. Griffin is seeking to overturn the results of the election by invalidating more than 60,000 votes.

Love is all around us, including love for civics. A love story about why civic engagement is vital and three ways to fulfill your civic duty.

Democracy could use our affection and attention right about now. Americans are falling out of love with our system of government.

When a civic relationship has soured, there may be a strong impulse to pull back from participating in elections. To the contrary, whether our candidates win or lose, whether our preferred policies become implemented or are discarded, Americans simply can’t give up on democracy.

The 2024 Voter Experience Survey Has Now Been Closed. See our Press Release on Preliminary Findings.

While voting is a fundamental right of U.S. citizens, that does not mean that everyone has the same experience voting. On the contrary. We’d like to learn more about your experience. U.S. Vote Foundation knows that information coming directly from voters is the most powerful for stimulating improvements in the voting process.

As the General Presidential 2024 election is approaching, a lot of you might wonder: “Who will be the next U.S. President?” We are wondering, too!

It's a great reason to be on the lookout for interesting books and articles on the topic of voting rights and elections. This time, we came across a fascinating, classic book on the predicting mythology of presidential elections.

In "Predicting the Next President: The Keys to the White House", 2024 Edition, by Allan J. Lichtman argues that presidential elections are not about the polls or candidates, leadership or personalities, campaigns or speeches.

Voting is one of the most important rights, privileges, and responsibilities we have as Americans, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and physical or mental ability. Your vote is your voice on who you want to represent you on local, state, and national levels and your voice on issues important to you.

Collectively, all voters including voters with disabilities can influence policies and impact outcomes that affect our families, our children, and our neighbors.

Absentee voting provides ease and convenience for domestic and overseas voters alike.

Indeed, many registered voters, particularly since the pandemic, have opted for this method. A mail-in or absentee ballot allows you to vote at your leisure: You can fill out a mail ballot from the comfort of your home, and avoid lines during the early voting period or on Election Day.

That said, sometimes voters change their minds before the day of the election and decide they’d rather vote in person, even after having requested an absentee ballot. That shouldn’t become a barrier to voting. You may need a little help figuring out what to do.

Did you know that voter turnout is historically lower for those with a disability than those without? In 2022, 121.9 million citizens cast their vote, of which 15.8 million reported having a disability. Another 15.3 million were said to have a disability, but did not vote.

It’s important to also consider care givers and those affected by someone with a disability when discussing voting gaps. The percentage of in-person voters with a disability needing assistance rose from 6% to 11% in 2022. While 10.3 million individuals living with someone with a disability did not vote in the 2022 election.