US Vote Blog

According to some metrics, the 113th Congress has legislated with less frequency than any other and focused more on battling over contentious partisan issues. However, on July 16, there was a breakthrough. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Voter Registration Bill HRES 672 was referred to the House Committee on Rules and Administration. This resolution provides a push to H.R. 12, which was introduced in 2013 “to modernize voter registration, promote access to voting for individuals with disabilities, protect the ability of individuals to exercise the right to vote in elections for Federal office, and for other purposes.”

The recent New York Times article, “Students Joining Battle to Upend Laws on Voter ID,” highlighted an unexpected segment of the population claiming discrimination due to voter identification laws. It was not the elderly. It was not a minority, either. No, not the poor. The latest group to band together and voice their concerns regarding voter ID requirements is college students.

The article asserts that certain state officials have spent the last decade attempting to tighten voting restrictions with their declared aim as a crack down on voting fraud. Voting rights activists argue that such fraud has not been proven.

As technology goes, so goes registering and voting. Like technology, voting is now more accessible to more Americans than ever before. Once constituting only occasional upgrades to voting machines at the polls, technological improvements now include websites, apps for smartphones, and the ability to reach Americans living, working, and serving in every corner of the globe. What once required a trip to City Hall or your local polling place may now, in many cases, be done with the click of a mouse.

Our friends at electionLine.org recently began highlighting the partnership between technology and voting in their weekly Tech Thursday round-up. Recent highlights featured the U.S. Vote Foundation’s new Can-I-Vote-Absentee? Widget, and the state of Connecticut’s new mobile app, which residents can use to register to vote via a smartphone or tablet. In addition, Georgia introduced an online voter registration tool, along with a mobile app. Both states require that residents possess a valid driver’s license in order to use the services.

Our friends at the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) recently released a report, A Model for Developing Estimates of U.S. Citizens Abroad: Final Technical Report, that presents a new model for developing estimates of American citizens living overseas. Among the report’s most eye-catching results, “the number of U.S. citizens living overseas has grown steadily from 2000 to 2010, increasing 60% overall during that period,” equaling a robust average annual growth rate of nearly 5%.

This is an incredible growth trend and points to the need for increased voter assistance to civilians as well as military members overseas. OVF notes that no equivalent increase in the rate of overseas civilians voting has been experienced, despite the improvements in online services that has occurred.

We keep reading the gloomy predictions about how young Americans are going to sit out the midterms. If you read too much of it, you might even forget that Election Day is more than five months away, these are projections, and there is a lot you can do to participate and get others to vote as well.

According to a recent poll conducted by the Harvard Institute of Politics (IOP), far fewer young Americans will be voting in this year’s midterm elections. IOP’s Survey of Young Americans’ Attitudes Toward Politics and Public Service: 25th Edition finds that only 23 percent of American voters aged 18 to 29 answered that they would “definitely be voting” this November, down from December 2013 when 34 percent of young voters said they would vote.

If you have not yet heard of POPVOX, a comprehensive resource on current legislation, then you are missing out on a vital information resource. The site provides the forum for you to communicate your support or opposition to Congress about any particular bill.

As the name suggests, POPVOX is place where the people can voice their opinions. In their own words, “POPVOX is different from other political sites. It is not a discussion forum. It is a place for action.” Letters to members of Congress are typically delivered within 33 hours, for example.

On April 8, The Pew Charitable Trusts released an updated Election Performance Index (EPI), which includes data from the 2012 General Election. The EPI assesses state election administration performance based on 17 indicators. The premise of the study is based on Heather Gerken’s 2012 book, The...

Contradicting the tendency toward growing restrictions in voting across the United States, the Brennan Center for Justice cites an overall positive trend toward greater voter access. This is welcome optimism when it seems like so many state legislatures are turning back the clock with regard to...

As we come to the conclusion of Women’s History Month, we celebrate the contributions of women to all facets of our society. However, inequality still remains, particularly gender parity in elected office.

Our friends at FairVote have released The State of Women’s Representation 2013-2014...