US Vote Blog

Before voters go to the polls in a General Election to elect the next president of the United States, they are given the opportunity to assist the major political parties in deciding who will be their nominated candidate via primary election or caucus.

Choosing the best candidate to be the nominee of the party is considered the first step to winning an election. It’s crucial to get this right, which is why primary elections are vitally important. Here's a sneak preview chart of primary and caucus dates for all states and territories!

Our nation faces a pivotal period in regard to election administration. As the 2024 elections approach, the country is grappling with a multitude of issues that have put a strain on election officials. Many election officials are resigning and leaving behind a void of valuable legacy knowledge.

This blog explores the significance of US Vote tracking and maintaining detailed election data and our role in fostering benefits for the election community.

One administrative change that could significantly affect election turnout at all levels, and that already has bipartisan support, is election consolidation.

Evidence is mounting that not only does election consolidation improve turnout in local elections – either by 8 to 18 percentage points, depending on the election, midterm or presidential, or even up to 50 percentage points – but it also boosts national turnout in state and federal elections.

“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.

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....

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!

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.

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.

Since our founding days, U.S. Vote Foundation has been committed to asking voters about their election experience. We feed that information back into our development process and use it to constructively inform the election community of what voters are saying about their actual voting experience.

The 2022 Election is vitally important - and US Vote wants to hear directly from you - whether you voted, or not! Please take the survey and let us know how voting went for you.