Press Releases

Michael Steele to Lead U.S. Vote Foundation

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 9, 2018 -- U.S. Vote Foundation's Board of Directors unanimously elected Michael Steele, Former Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), as Chair of U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) and its Overseas Vote initiative. His appointment will strengthen the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization and support its work to advance its mission to make Every Citizen is a Voter, a reality.

“With the 2018 midterm election now underway, Mr. Steele's leadership and skill at driving engagement will positively augment our outreach efforts,” US Vote President and CEO Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat. “His breadth of communications experience and insight into the political and media establishment will help us keep our finger on the pulse during this important midterm election year.”

“This is the ideal time for me to take the reigns at US Vote and work with the organization to reach out to more voters, getting them involved in the voting process. We have the tools and services at US Vote to help every US citizen to engage in our democracy with voting as a central action,” stated Mr. Steele. "I'm truly looking forward to helping more people make their voices heard at the ballot box."

U.S. Vote Foundation Welcomes New Board Members and Interim Chair

Marcia Johnson-Blanco and Clarissa Martínez-De-Castro Join U.S. Vote Foundation Board; Michael Steele appointed as Interim Chair

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 19, 2017 - U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) has elected two new members to its Executive Board: Marcia Johnson-Blanco, Co-director, Voting Rights Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; and Clarissa Martínez-De-Castro, Deputy Vice President, Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation, UnidosUS. Both new members served since May 2015 on US Vote’s Advisory Board. Michael Steele, who has served on the board since March 2016 was appointed as Interim Chair of Board.

US Vote CEO Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat said, “It is an honor to have two new members of our board with such breadth of professional expertise in the realm of voting rights and outreach to diverse communities. They bring real election and voting advocacy muscle coupled with individual talents that will serve our organization immeasurably. In addition, we are all grateful to Michael Steele for taking the lead as we mobilize for the midterms.”

Christopher M. Thomas Joins U.S. Vote Foundation Executive Board

WASHINGTON D.C., May 30, 2017 – U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) proudly announces Christopher M. Thomas as a new member of its Executive Board. The announcement is in anticipation of Mr. Thomas’ retirement from his post as Director of Elections for the Michigan Secretary of State at the end of June 2017.

“With the insights and expertise I have gained in my work at the Michigan Bureau of Elections and with the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, I fully intend to continue to contribute to initiatives that foster increased participation in elections at every level of government in the United States”, stated Mr. Thomas.

Donald J. Morrison Elected as U.S. Vote Foundation Board Chair

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 16, 2017 – U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) welcomes a new board chair, Donald J. Morrison, elected today. Mr. Morrison will steer the organization through a vital year during which US Vote expands its civic data project to include local election data.   The effort will seek to bring the resources of Silicon Valley together with the civic world to increase voter information and participation.

Mr. Morrison brings a wealth of software industry, civic engagement, and funding experience to US Vote. He has grown four technology startups, taken several companies public and led numerous M&A and integration investments.

U.S. Vote Foundation Announces Kevin J. Kennedy as New Board Member

WASHINGTON DC, March 1, 2017  -- U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) announced today that Kevin J. Kennedy, former Director and General Counsel for the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, has joined its board of directors.

Mr. Kennedy served for 33 years as Wisconsin’s Chief Election Official, 1983 to 2016. No other individual served longer in that capacity. Under his leadership, Wisconsin was consistently recognized as a leader and innovator in the administration of elections, lobbying and campaign finance.

“My first priority with US Vote will be to support its expansion into the arena of local elections data across the country. It’s exciting to be part of an organization that has spearheaded so many positive innovations in elections and I look forward to working toward its mission,” stated Mr. Kennedy.

U.S. Vote Foundation to Tackle a Nationwide Data Problem

New Local Elections Data Resource and API

NEW YORK, NY, January 18, 2017 – U.S. Vote Foundation’s (US Vote) twelve year investment in development of its election data and API technology will be used to address a vast and unmanaged data challenge: Local Election Dates and Deadlines. The announcement was released at the Knight-Civic Hall Symposium on Tech, Politics and the Media.

“Ask anyone if they know the date of their next local election and what it is about, or how to find out? They cannot tell you. People are not participating in the elections that direct affect the quality of their lives. We are poised to unlock this data and fix that problem,” states Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, US Vote’s President and CEO.

A Knight Foundation Prototype Fund grant for “Local Election Dates and Deadlines (LEDD) Data Resource and API” served to kick-start the program.

US Vote Announces 2016 Election Day Voter Experience Survey Highlights

January 16, 2017 - The 2016 Election Day Voter Experience Survey, conducted by U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) together with its Overseas Vote initiative from Nov 8-11, 2016, provides new insights into approximately 12,000 voters’ actual experiences of casting a ballot (or not) through six different voting methods, both domestic and overseas.

Highlights / Key Findings

Among the many new insights, certain findings stood out:

  • Satisfaction and Motivation – 76% of all respondents indicated they were satisfied or very satisfied with the voting process; and in a rating from 1 to 5, with 5 highest, overall voter motivation was 4.6%
  • Online Ballot Delivery Dominates for Overseas Voters – For the first time ever in a general election, overseas absentee voters in the 2016 election were more likely to receive their blank ballots through an electronic method (72%) than through postal mail

U.S. Vote Foundation Welcomes Michael Steele to its Executive Board

WASHINGTON DC, March 24, 2016  -- U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) announced today that Michael Steele, Former Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) has joined its board of directors.

“As we move forward with our mission of informing and enfranchising voters, US Vote will benefit from the leadership of Mr. Steele through its Executive Board,” US Vote President and CEO Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat. “His tremendous political and policy experience coupled with his expertise in communications and advocacy will positively influence the vision and development of the organization.”

“I look forward to further strengthening US Vote and working to enable more voices to be heard in this and future elections. Every citizen’s civic life should have voting as a central action. With US Vote, I hope to bring a new focus to the importance of voting,” stated Mr. Steele who is currently a political analyst at MSNBC where he has worked since 2011 after his successful tenure at the RNC.

The Jerusalem Post, Metro: Making a statement for democracy

By Sarah Hershenson, 3/10/2016 [See original article in The Jerusalem Post, Metro - subscribers only]
Editor: Erica Schachne; Subeditors: Daniel Halberman, Yakir Feldman, Menashe Koren; Graphics: Nechame Rosenstein

The importance – and ease – of casting your ballot in American federal elections from overseas.

"Ballots are stronger than bullets” was a phrase used by Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the US, several times in speeches. Even though he led his country through the Civil War, a period of turbulence and bloodshed, he never lost sight of the democratic ideal.

This November, 151 years later, American citizens of the US will go to the polls to elect a new president and use the power of their ballots to make a statement for democracy.

Consensus Reached on Recommendations Toward the Future of Internet Voting

 U.S. Vote Foundation Releases New System Requirements, Specifications, Architecture and
Cryptographic Foundations for End-to-End Verifiable Internet Voting 

July 10, 2015 – Today’s release of The Future of Voting: End-to-End Verifiable Internet Voting Specification and Feasibility Assessment Study by U.S. Vote Foundation establishes a new reference for the security, usability and transparency requirements essential to the U.S. in any consideration of Internet voting for public elections. The announcement was made at the Annual Summer Conference of the National Association of Secretaries of State, hosted this year in Portland, Maine.

Developed by a team of the nation’s leading experts in election integrity, election administration, high-assurance systems engineering, and cryptography, the report starts from the premise that public elections in the U.S. are a matter of national security. The authors assert that Internet voting systems must be transparent and designed to run in a manner that embraces the constructs of end-to-end verifiability – a property missing from existing Internet voting systems.

An end-to-end verifiable (E2E-V) voting system allows voters to 1) check that the system recorded their votes correctly; 2) check that the system included their votes in the final tally; 3) count the recorded votes and double-check the announced outcome of the election.  An Internet voting system that is end-to-end verifiable is an E2E-VIV system. The new set of system specifications that could eventually lead to a model E2E-VIV system includes an ideal cryptographic foundation, security, audit, and usability considerations, as well as technical approaches to the system architecture.