Earlier this year, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced that in 2014 seven local issues were decided by just one vote or tied. In a press release, his office emphasized that “one person could have made the difference in deciding whether local taxes would go up, bond issues passed or an area restaurant or read more
Voting is a habit. But so is sitting out an election. Make 2015 the year that you pledge to be a voter. Let this year be the start of many years of voting to come. Although many states don’t have high profile races this year, that doesn’t mean there aren’t elections that matter. Local issues read more
Today is Veterans Day, a day to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. According to the U.S. Census, 14.7 million veterans voted in the 2012 presidential election; 70% of veterans cast a ballot in that election, compared with 61.8% of all eligible read more
Next week–Tuesday November 4th–is your chance to snag an “I Voted” sticker. Depending on your state, you may have already cast your ballot either in-person or by mail. One downside to voting absentee by mail is that you typically don’t get an “I Voted” sticker. Never fear! Back in 2012, Slate considered this problem and read more
While nonprofits cannot support or oppose a candidate for office, there are a number of ways to engage candidates on a nonpartisan basis. Consider creating a candidate questionnaire: not only will it allow you to communicate with candidates, but it will also let your clients (and the public) know what the candidates think about a read more
Please join us in welcoming Kids Voting USA (KVUSA) to the Nonprofit VOTE network! Kids Voting USA is working to secure the future of our democracy by preparing young people to be educated, engaged citizens. They operate through a national network of community-based affiliates that partner with schools and elections officials to offer students in read more
This week, one of our partners, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is launching Community Health Vote 2012–a national nonpartisan voter engagement campaign to establish voter engagement as an ongoing effort at as many health centers as possible. Marc Wetherhorn, NACHC’s National Advocacy Director, blogged: “Health centers are in a unique position to read more
A recent article from KansasReporter.org described the situation of 50 residents at Westview Manor, a Kansas adult care facility. Due to the state’s new voter identification requirements, the vast majority could be unable to vote in this year’s election. Only 9 residents have current ID cards and just two have birth certificates that can be read more
A controversial Ohio election law (HB 194) set to take effect on Friday has been suspended, pending the outcome of a November 2012 referendum. If implemented, the law would prohibit counties from mailing out unsolicited absentee ballot applications, end the “golden week” when people can register to vote and cast a ballot on the same read more
It’s official. Question 1 will appear on the Maine ballot this November. Earlier this year we reported that a new law had ended almost four decades of Election Day Registration (EDR) in Maine. But EDR supporters mounted a whirlwind campaign, spearheaded by the Protect Maine Votes coalition, to repeal the law and restore Election Day read more
Yesterday was the 21st anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, guaranteeing equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, commercial facilities, employment, transportation, state and local government services and telecommunications. According to the Census Bureau, 36 million Americans have a disability, 12% of the civilian noninstitutionalized population. Because of the read more
Great news: Connecticut is looking for ways to improve and update their election systems! Earlier this week, Secretary of State Denise Merrill convened an Election Performance Task Force to review Connecticut’s election system and recommend improvements. Members of the task force include Secretary Merrill and her deputy, town clerks, representatives from Common Cause, Demos and read more
Recently, Kentucky has seen a rise in the number of voter registration forms submitted by homeless individuals. As a result, State Board of Elections Executive Director Sarah Ball Johnson wrote a memo to the state’s county clerks, instructing them to approve all voter registration applications from people who are homeless–even if clerks can’t verify the read more
Question: What’s the difference between the importance of voting and the importance of being a voter?Answer: A 14% difference in turnout. A new study by Stanford social psychologist Christopher Bryan suggests that voter turnout can be improved simply by calling someone a voter, rather than asking them to vote. The study shows that subtle linguistic read more
