(cache) U.S. Vote Foundation | Absentee Ballot Request and Voter Registration Services for All U.S. Voters in All States at Home and Abroad

Announcing our 2014 Post-Election Survey results in a new online format!

2014 election survey

This new interactive and intuitive design allows users to compare Overseas Vote Foundation Post–Election Survey data across states. Past Post-Election Survey data will be added in the days ahead to facilitate comparison from one Post-Election Survey to another.

See Intro to the Survey at Summit 2015

View Survey Results

Engage - Empower - Protect the American Voter

See Summit 2015 As It Happened - now available on video

U.S. and Overseas Vote Foundation, FairVote, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law co-hosted the Ninth Annual Voting and Elections Summit 2015 - a conference that fostered examination of the profound and persistent issues surrounding U.S. voter participation, engagement in our democracy, and what we can do about it. [See Summit 2015 As It Happened] [See Conference Agenda] [See Workshop Agenda]

The 2014 midterm election had the lowest turnout since 1942, with more than 144 million eligible voters not casting a vote. With the 2016 presidential election approaching, the two-day conference combining high-profile speakers and hands-on workshops was an incredible opportunity to discuss ways to increase voter participation, voter confidence and equitable representation in our elections. Read More...

Can I Vote Absentee? - Get the Widget Today!

Are you wondering: "Can I Vote Absentee?"

Instantly access the answer in one click from U.S. Vote Foundation!

Your voice matters - your vote counts. Don't let the fact that you might not be able to get to the polls stop you from voting. Make it easy with absentee voting! Get your ballot sent to your mailbox and access the convenience of 'vote-by-mail' starting today.

Use the CIVA widget to answer to the question – Can I Vote Absentee? and then access your state's absentee ballot request form. Try it now with the live widget on this page - select your state and you're on your way!

Embed the widget in your own site, post a link to the widget on your social media pages, or read more: www.usvotefoundation.org/can-i-vote-absentee

Blog

New! 2016 Voter Outreach Banners

US Vote - Register to Vote Banner Graphic

Looking for a way to reach out to voters and help them find the services they need? We have the answer for you! Post a U.S. Vote Foundation or Overseas Vote banner on your website, blog, Facebook feed, twitter or your next newsletter and link it to https://www.usvotefoundation.org

You may want to post a graphic, or simply to list a service and send voters directly to that. Helping voters find great service is what it's about.

The new 2016 banners are available now in the U.S. Vote Foundation Banner Kit - get your banner now!

Crowdsourcing election data — a success story

60 percent of local election officials involved in updates of data

U.S. Vote Foundation’s Election Official Directory (EOD) is a crowd-sourced database with 7,825 extensive records. The “crowd” comprises Local Election Officials (LEOs) across the US who regularly update their jurisdiction contact data.

In 2010, the foundation began tracking response rates to update requests that go to LEOs. In the last five years since, the response rate to the update requests doubled from 30 percent to 60 percent. This is a story of dedication in pursuit of an idea and its implementation.

Caucus – Tell Me What, Who, Why, When, and How!

Primary elections to decide the nominees are run by states in the way we expect elections to run, but caucuses? About one fifth of states still hold caucuses, and they work differently. In contrast to primary elections, political parties, not official election offices, run caucuses in which party members and activists participate.

Typically, caucuses involve small meetings where individuals meet and choose delegates to represent their choice of nominee at the party’s convention. Whether is a a neighborhood living room, or a school gym, or another location is up to the local party.

There are different types of caucuses and whether you can participate may depend on the type of caucus being held in your state.

Guest Blog from US Vote's Outreach Volunteer in Israel

Absentee Voting Information for U.S. Citizens Abroad
Voting is one of our most fundamental rights as U.S. citizens. According to the U.S. State Department, in 2014, an estimated 8.7 million U.S. citizens lived overseas. (Source document: U.S. State Dept) And USA today wrote, “As many as 30,000 of the 300,000 U.S. Citizens living in Israel voted in previous presidential elections," (Source Article: USA Today, 10/31/2012)

If you are a US citizen 18 years or older and reside outside the United States, you may vote absentee in the 2016 U.S. Primaries and General Election. Registration requirements vary by state. The best time to register to vote/request an absentee ballot is January of each year, or at least 90 days before Election Day. Depending on the state, some will allow you to register while 17 years old if you are 18 by the election, others require that you are 18 when you register.

Guest Blog from VoteSmart - Introducing VoteEasy!

Vote Smart has re-launched its award-winning voter-to-candidate matching tool, VoteEasy, to its website VoteSmart.org. Often times, voters are simply not exposed to their candidates’ true beliefs. Data such as voting records or interest group ratings are buried underneath webs of political rhetoric. Vote Smart, and particularly VoteEasy, exists to counter that rhetoric. This interactive tool gives voters nation-wide the opportunity to identify which candidates best align with their political beliefs. As you answer questions on 13 national issues, you will watch Presidential candidates move closer or further away, depending on how closely the candidates’ political stances align with your own.

If you question the accuracy of the candidate's positions, or would like more information on a displayed candidate, simply click on the candidate’s photo and get their factual record which includes their Political Courage Test answers, Key Votes, public statements, and more.

Press Releases

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

This article by Sarah Hershenson was published on 3/10/2016 in The Jerusalem Post, Metro.
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.

As of 2010, the US was one of the 115 countries in the world to allow its citizens over the age of 18 who live outside the country the right to vote. Many of the countries that allow for overseas voting have stipulations as to how many years a citizen can be absent from his native land or other limits, but the United States does not.

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. 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.

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.

U.S. Vote Foundation Announces Mark Ritchie as New Board Member 

May 27, 2015, WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) is pleased to announce that Mark Ritchie, former Secretary of State for the state of Minnesota, has joined the organization’s Executive Board. US Vote is a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)3 organization, which develops and provides domestic, overseas and military voters with public access to innovative voter information, registration and vote-by-mail ballot request services.

“My first priority as a member of the US Vote Executive Board will be to make sure that US Vote has the resources it needs to support their development vision and their mission to make it easy for every citizen to be an active voter,” added Ritchie. As Secretary of State, Ritchie was a strong advocate for overseas and military voters.

2014 Post Election Survey Results Released - New Interactive Online Format

Highlights Reveal Ongoing Challenges in Overseas Voting

WASHINGTON D.C. – February 5, 2015 – Overseas Vote Foundation and U.S. Vote Foundation have released their 2014 Post-Election Survey results in a new online format. This interactive presentation allows users to compare Overseas Vote Foundation Post–Election Survey data across states.

[See the 2014 Post Election Survey Results]

U.S. Vote Foundation and Overseas Vote Foundation Launch Election Official Directory Application Programming Interface

New API to Support Election Services Developers with Comprehensive Address and Contact Data for Every Local Election Jurisdiction

WASHINGTON, D.C – July 24, 2014 - U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) and Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF) today announced the Election Official Directory Application Programming Interface (EOD API), which allows any voter or election services organization to utilize the data in this comprehensive election jurisdiction database in their own application or on their own website.

The Election Official Directory (EOD) is a highly successful and proven directory application that OVF / US Vote pioneered ten years ago to facilitate overseas and military voter registration and absentee ballot request processing, which is carried out at the local election office level.

Absentee Ballot Request and Voter Registration Services for All U.S. Voters in All States at Home and Abroad

My life is unpredictable, but with US Vote, my absentee ballot is on time.

I'd never skip a Midterm Exam... or a Midterm Election. The results are with you for a long time.

With US Vote, my absentee ballot moves with me - wherever I happen to be.

For some of us, it's better when our ballots come right to our desks. U.S. Vote makes it possible.

For me, voting happens in my polling place. And US Vote is how I keep my registration up to date.

With all these schedules to juggle, the best location for my polling place is my desk.

My Voter Account keeps me engaged in civic life back home. I can see who my elected officials are, check deadlines and refile my ballot request with a click.

Examine and explore the possibility of conducting secure elections online.

Election OfficialDirectory

State VotingInformation

My VoterAccount

Discover "My Voter Account" - Your Personal Democracy App

NEW! Discover integrated news content from America's most respected non-partisan political fact-checking site, Factcheck.org.

Get your voting and election information all in one place. Your Voter Account moves with you, stays with you and informs you. It is your personal democracy app.

Announcing our 2014 Post-Election Survey results in a new online format!

Engage - Empower - Protect the American Voter

See Summit 2015 As It Happened - now available on video

Can I Vote Absentee? - Get the Widget Today!

Are you wondering: "Can I Vote Absentee?"

Blog

Press Releases

View Your State Voting Requirements & Election Deadlines

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