US Vote Blog

Recent Content

Image
doorway lintel with words supreme court etched into stone
“The most important election that nobody’s ever heard of,”[1] is how the 2023 election for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice is being described. The race will deliver a judge who will preside over cases as consequential as abortion rights and redistricting.

Considered by some as the number one controversial issue of the moment, abortion rights would be enough to drive attention to this election. The additional issue of redistricting in this crucial swing state means the next Supreme Court Justice of Wisconsin may find themselves under a very bright spotlight. And more than once.
Image
Voting Law Changes
There are a number of hot button election bills under consideration in 2023 state legislative sessions which address the questions:

- Who gets to vote?
- How stringent should voting policies be?

The ways state legislatures address these questions will shape the voting population as well as election outcomes.

U.S. Vote Foundation monitors election law changes on a state-by-state basis. Check out our State Voter Information to see if there have been any changes in your state’s laws for eligibility, identification, and ways to vote.

In our federal system, state governments largely have the authority to make rules....
Image
US Vote 2022 Post Election Survey Results Announced
U.S. Vote Foundation has a long history of post-election research starting with the 2004 General Election and every general election cycle since then. The 2022 Midterm General Election year was no exception. We opted for a short, 3-5 minute survey to get a finger on the pulse of the voter experience in this election year.

Fascinating! That's the word we give to this year's post-election survey results. Satisfaction DOWN. Motivation UP. You might wonder, how is that?

Our new 2022 Voter Experience Survey Report is now available. Have a look, and get the answers you seek!
Image
The Famous Georgia Peach says Vote!
What's in it for me? Isn't the Senate already decided?

The Georgia Senate Seat currently held by incumbent Raphael Warnock is headed for a runoff on December 6, 2022. When no Senate candidate garnered more than 50% of the vote during the General Election on November 8, 2022, in Georgia, a runoff election was automatically triggered.

Why should you care about an election in Georgia when the balance of power has already been decided in the Senate?

Unless you’ve been asleep for the last two years, you cannot have missed how much one vote in the Senate mattered when considering major legislation.
Image
Georgia State with US Flag Pattern
Election 2022 has been full of surprises, and chief among them is the fact that control of the Senate was not decided until 5 days following the November 8th election. Even then, while the Democrats have secured the lead, it remains to be seen just how much of a majority they will hold for the new congressional term. This question will be settled through a runoff election in Georgia on Tuesday, December 6, 2022.

The November 8th General Election race to represent Georgia in the United State Senate failed to give either candidate a clear majority of the votes, and under state law, the lack of majority means the two candidates with the largest plurality of votes have to face each other again in a runoff election.
Image
Ballot Drop Off Options
Here's everything you need to know to submit your absentee ballot in time to be counted.

The 2022 midterm election will be held on Tuesday, November 8th. And if you’re anything like the 65 million Americans who voted by mail in the 2020 general election, then you too may be submitting an absentee ballot this year. In fact, experts predict that over 60 million will vote by mail-in or absentee ballot this year.

Hopefully, you’ve already requested, received, and voted your absentee ballot. But if you haven’t done one or all of those things, we’ll walk you through your options
Image
Vote By Mail Ballot Envelope
Some welcome numbers on vote by mail have been projected for the 2022 midterms. According to David Meyers at the Fulcrum, the “number of people who vote by mail is expected to grow by 40 percent from the last midterm election and could nearly match 2020 totals.”

In the 2020 general election, thanks to nationwide pandemic policies, 66.5 million Americans voted by mail. If we match those numbers in 2022 – which would be a feat, considering turnout is much lower at midterm elections – then we’ll know “voting by mailed-out ballot has gone ‘mainstream’ beyond the few initial states [out west].”
Image
U.S. Capitol Building
Midterm General Elections are all about Congress. While Presidential General Elections are every four years, the Midterm elections fall in between at the 2-year mark. “General” election basically means it is an election that happens in all states and territories at the same time.

Congress is the Legislative Branch of our government, made up of 435 members of the House of Representatives and 100 Senators. A change in the composition of congress can create a dramatic power shift in the function of an administration. Midterm elections give YOU, the voter, the opportunity to decide which party controls both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Image
Overseas Voter badge
The Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) is designed as a fallback "emergency" ballot when all other efforts to get your official ballot have been exhausted.

The Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) is an alternative, downloadable ballot that, depending on your voter status, you can use to vote in federal, state, and local elections, including ballot measures. You can generate the FWAB form on our website. You will print the file and fill in the ballot page with your selected candidates.