US Vote Blog

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

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].”

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.

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.

Designed specifically to counter disinformation and confusion about absentee voting,, U.S. Vote Foundation's (US Vote) new ad campaign comes right out and calls it like it is – and that is: Absentee Voting is Voting.

US Vote worked together with Culture One World to develop this campaign over several months. We examined voting trends across the states and looked at states that support absentee voting, but where vote-by-mail participation is not at the level it could be.

Is there a question standing between you and voting?

Do I still have time to register to vote? Where do I send my voting forms? How do I vote from abroad? These are all very real questions that keep voters like you from voting.... or not! Because getting a personal answer can be the one thing it takes to help you move forward.

We have the answer to these questions and over 100 more ready-to-go....

Introducing US Vote's enhanced, personalized voter experience

Are you ready for a new and improved voting experience?

US Vote’s newly launched website offers that and more. With a site that is optimized for mobile devices and updated to include new charts and services, we are ready to help you cast your ballot in the 2022 midterm elections!

The feature and functionality we are proudest to introduce is the new, upgraded Voter Account dashboard, which offers you a personalized voter experience.

There’s a key question that voters with disabilities should address right now in advance of an election: What is the most convenient way to securely cast a ballot given one’s personal circumstance?

When weighing whether to vote in person, it’s crucial to consider that while the full and equal opportunity to vote is protected by federal law ... Two-thirds of polling places still lack an accessible path to the ballot box; and one-third of polling locations are currently unable to honor the right to a private and independent vote for voters with disabilities.

National Disability Voting Rights Week - Guest Blog - Issue 5.

It’s already challenging to increase voting in rural communities, but increasing the rural disability vote is even more difficult. While increasing voter turnout is challenging everywhere, issues specific to rural voting must be confronted to effectively implement a voting strategy in these less populated areas.

These strategies can be used in your rural community too...