This evening, Nonprofit VOTE released a new report that examines the impact nonprofits have when they engage the communities they serve in voting and elections. Engaging New Voters: The Impact of Nonprofit Voter Outreach on Client and Community Turnout is based on an analysis of 129 nonprofits that did voter engagement work across nine states read more
Nonprofit VOTE is pleased to release America Goes to the Polls 2014, the latest edition in our series of biennial reports on voter turnout. America Goes to the Polls 2014 uses official election data to rank voter turnout in the 50 states and looks at major factors underlying voter participation in this historically low turnout read more
This month we are releasing the latest installment in our America Goes to the Polls series. These reports track national turnout and voting trends among eligible voters in presidential and midterm elections. It is the only place to find state-by-state turnout comparisons based on official turnout data. Additionally, our America Goes to the Polls supplements read more
In 2013, the Bipartisan Policy Center created a Commission on Political Reform to investigate the causes and consequences of America’s partisan political divide and to advocate for specific reforms to improve the political process. Their new report, Governing in a Polarized America: A Bipartisan Blueprint to Strengthen our Democracy, identifies reforms in three specific areas: read more
Earlier this month, Pew Charitable Trusts released new data for their Elections Performance Index (EPI), an online tool that provides a comprehensive assessment of election administration in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Originally unveiled in 2012, the revised interactive adds data from the 2012 elections and makes it possible for the first read more
Last week, National Voter Registration Day released their 2013 Field and Communications report. Despite 2013 being an off-year election cycle, the second annual NVRD had a presence in all 50 states and remained a popular event. Additionally, secretaries of state across the country embraced National Voter Registration Day in 2013. Last year: 931 partners and read more
Earlier this year, the Sentencing Project gave an update on felon disenfranchisement in the United States. Currently, 5.85 million Americans are prohibited from voting due to laws that disenfranchise citizens convicted of felony offenses. Only two states–Maine and Vermont–do not restrict the voting rights of anyone with a felony conviction, even while in prison. However, read more
As 2013 ends, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what we learned this year. This summer, Nonprofit VOTE released a two-part report, Can Nonprofits Increase Voting Among Their Clients, Constituents, and Staff? An Evaluation of the Track the Vote Program. While Part I of the report showcases the impact of nonprofit voter engagement on read more
How do nonprofits carry out voter engagement work? Our report Can Nonprofits Increase Voting Among Their Clients, Constituents, and Staff? Case Studies describes how 16 organizations engaged their communities around the 2012 election. These organizations were among the 94 nonprofit service providers that tracked their voter contacts with 33,741 individuals last year. They ranged from read more
The National Council on Disability and the Research Alliance for Accessible Voting have both released new reports on the Experience of Voters with Disabilities in the 2012 Election Cycle and Disability, Voter Turnout, and Voting Difficulties in the 2012 Elections. They found that 15.6 million people with disabilities reported voting in the November 2012 elections. read more
Yesterday’s webinar, Nonprofits Increase Voting: Findings from 2012, is now available. Many thanks to Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg of CIRCLE and Isela Gutiérrez-Gunter from Democracy North Carolina for joining us for this discussion. Watch the presentation on YouTube. If you subscribe to our channel, you’ll be notified whenever new content is posted. You can also download the read more
There’s still time to register for Thursday’s webinar: Nonprofits Increase Voting: Findings from 2012 Thursday October 24th, 2:00-3:00pm Eastern What happens when nonprofits talk to their constituents about voting? To find out, Nonprofit VOTE and its partners enlisted 94 nonprofit service providers to track their voter contacts with 33,741 individuals in seven states during the read more
By Michael Weekes, President of the Providers’ Council. Reprinted from The Provider, the newspaper of the Providers’ Council, Summer 2013 issue. Nonprofit VOTE, the nation’s leading nonpartisan source focused on engaging nonprofits in registering voters and promoting voting through mission-focused activities, has released a seminal report on voting rates for those connected with nonprofits. read more
We’re pleased to announce that our new voter turnout report, Voter Participation Gaps in the 2012 Presidential Election, is now available. It is the latest in our America Goes to the Polls series and is based on the recently released biennial Census survey on voting and registration. The report tracks, analyzes, and explains prominent turnout read more
Is it too soon to think about next year’s national midterm and the election of Congress, one-third of the Senate, two-thirds of state governors, and almost all state legislatures? No, definitely not. Unfortunately, most nonprofits won’t even begin considering their November 2014 plans until the end of next summer. In such a small window, there read more
A new study by Nonprofit VOTE found that turnout among voters contacted by nonprofits during the 2012 election was 74%, six points above the 68% turnout rate for all registered voters. The clients engaged by nonprofits were markedly more diverse, lower income, and younger than the general population of registered voters. Though these demographic groups read more
Last year, 87 service providers in nine states tracked approximately 41,000 voters they registered or had sign a voter pledge card. There were 15,393 voter registrations and 25,416 voter pledges. Now, we’re using that data to measure the impact of nonprofit voter engagement and highlight effective strategies for nonprofits. We’re excited about what we’re learning. read more
The Pew Center on the States recently released an issue brief on “Evidence That America’s Voter Registration System Needs an Upgrade”. The report underscores the need for registration systems that better maintain voter records, save money, and streamline processes. The report notes that nationwide: At least 51 million eligible citizens remain unregistered–more than 24% of read more
The NAACP recently produced a report, “Defending Democracy: Confronting Modern Barriers to Voting Rights in America,” that contextualizes the emergence of recent “block the vote” measures and explains their potential effects. The report examines a slew of legislative proposals, ballot initiatives, and voting laws that have been enacted or proposed: 14 states have passed 25 read more
Earlier this month, the Brennan Center published a new report on “Voting Law Changes in 2012” that details and analyzes the bills that have been proposed and passed since the beginning of this year. Most have made it much more difficult for citizens to both register and vote. Restrictions have come in many forms, including: read more
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) recently made news when it came up on the House budget chopping block. (It survived.) In the meantime, the EAC has released a new report on voter registration statistics from after the 2008 general election through the 2010 midterm election. The report covers the number of registered voters, the read more
In a recent segment, CNN anchor Lou Dobbs told viewers that substantial evidence suggests that large numbers of non-citizens, including undocumented immigrants, are voting in federal elections and could be the deciding factor in November’s elections. The story primarily cites a recent report published by the Heritage Foundation. The report is written by former recess-appointed read more
This report from R. Michael Alvarez (Caltech) and Jonathan Nagler (NYU) from Demos analyzes likely effects of introducing Election Day Registration in Nebraska, and includes the following estimates of increases in turnout for specific groups of Nebraska citizens under EDR: Overall turnout could go up by 5.4 percent. Turnout among those aged 18 to 25 read more
A review of the 2008 primary season has found that the dramatically increased number of voters taxed the election system more than any administrative problem. Millions of voters – many of them first timers – crowded polling places around the country, doubling recent turnout in some states. View full reportJuly 24, 2008 – 2008 Primary read more
Using national survey data from the 2006 general election, authors Morgan H. Llewellyn, Thad E. Hall and R. Michael Alvarez of the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project conclude that voter confidence in the voting process is influenced by the context of the election, as well as who wins and what voting technology is used. Supporters of read more
A new report from the EAC looks at the HAVA-mandated ID requirements for these first-time voters when they go to the polls. View “Case Studies on the Impact of the Help America Vote Act’s Identification Requirements for First-Time Voters” (PDF), U.S. Election Assistance Commission (May 2008)
America Goes to the Polls 2008, a brand-new comprehensive report from the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network, compiles state-by-state data on this year’s voter turnout phenomenon, examining participation in the 2008 presidential primaries and caucuses and charting its unprecedented increase since 2004 and 2000.
California researchers say genes influence participation in a wide range of political activities, including elections. James H. Fowler and Christopher T. Dawes of the University of California, San Diego, and Laura A. Baker of the University of Southern California identify a link between two specific genes and political participation.The study shows that individuals with a read more
2008 has seen a virtual explosion in voter participation. Turnout in this year’s primary elections reached levels not seen in well over 30 years. America Goes to the Polls 2008, a brand-new comprehensive report from the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network, compiles state-by-state data on this phenomenon, examining turnout in the 2008 presidential primaries and caucuses read more
“Awakening the New ‘Sleeping Giant’? Asian American Political Engagement,” prepared by the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, the University of California Asian American and Pacific Islander Policy Multi-Campus Research Program, and Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, charts Asian American electoral trends in the context of population growth, demographics and immigration status and highlights the challenges read more
Francis Neely and Corey Cook examine San Francisco voters’ experience with instant runoff voting (IRV) from 2004-2006. Demographic influences on ranking the candidates – do certain demographic groups rank more candidates than others for example – are found to be very limited. Overall voters are found to have adapted relatively well to IRV. American Politics read more
“Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2006“, new from the U.S. Census Bureau and based on the November 2006 Current Population Survey’s Voting and Registration Supplement, reports that nearly three of every four registered voters went to the polls in 2006, and among registered voters, 71 percent reported voting, compared with 69 percent read more
A policy summary draft on Universal Voter Registration was recently released for review by the Brennan Center for Justice’s Democracy Program. The summary highlights problems with existing voter registration systems, and offers suggestions for implementing universal voter registration, such as: • Providing federal funds for states taking steps toward universal voter registration• Requiring “permanent voter read more
“Human Dimension of Elections: how poll workers shape public confidence in elections“, a new report from the University of Utah’s Institute for Public and International Affairs, explores how the quality of poll workers can affect voter satisfaction.
The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), a nonprofit, non-partisan organization working to improve communications between citizens and members of Congress, has released two new reports. One report, Communicating with Congress: How the Internet Has Changed Citizen Engagement, describes how the Internet has revitalized citizen communication with Congress.A second report in draft form, entitled Communicating with Congress: read more
Read Demos’ new report on Same Day Registration‘s successful journey through the North Carolina legislature, from gaining the support of election officials to fighting concerns on voter fraud.
Read OH Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner’s report on Ohio’s 2008 Primary Election, which outlinesvoter turnout and election procedure improvements since 2004 and identifies the remaining problem areas to resolve for future elections. Recommendations include: clarifying voter ID requirements; improving voter registry accuracy; training poll workers more thoroughly, and more. linkhttp://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/Upload/images/features/08PriReport.gif photohttp://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/Upload/images/features/08PriReport.gif
A new report from the Congressional Research Service analyzes Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Indiana’s voter ID requirement: download The Constitutionality of Requiring Photo Identification for Voting: An Analysis of Crawford v. Marion County Election Board .http://opencrs.cdt.org/document/RS22882
