Absentee Ballot Request for US-based and Overseas Voters Abroad, Election Dates / Deadlines, and How to Vote in your State

Civics Crash Course - Lesson 2.0
As our nation debated ratification of the Constitution in the late eighteenth century, the Anti-Federalists raised concerns about the danger of federal representatives losing touch with their constituents in a nation as sizable as the United States.

Between elections, institutional mechanisms are in place to hold elected officials responsible if they fail to be representative or act in bad faith.

By design, there are several formal and informal means available for our institutions to hold elected officials accountable for their actions and in-actions.

Civics Crash Course - Lesson 1.0
Democracy is a system of government in which the people are sovereign. In other words, the fundamental essence of a democracy is rule by the people. A democratic government operates with the consent of the governed based on the popular will.

There are two main types of democracy at work in the United States: Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy. Both models are based on the will of the people expressed through their cast ballots.

The difference between a direct democracy and a representative democracy comes down to who creates the laws by which we are governed.

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!