Mail-in and Early Voting

Overview

Nov 04 2008

One reform that some states have used to give voters greater access to the polls is expanding the option to vote by mail. All states allow for some voters, typically the disabled and infirmed, to vote with an absentee ballot. 28 states currently allow any voter to choose a mail-in absentee ballot. States can go even further by maintaining a list of voters who choose to always vote by mail and then automatically sending them a mail-in ballot every election. Florida's statute provides an excellent example of a simple absentee voting law that allows access for all voters.

Two states, Oregon and Washington, have gone to virtually universal vote-by-mail elections and only make limited use of traditional polling places. Advocates for voting by mail emphasize the replacement of faulty voting machines, the time voters get to reflect on their choices, and the successes of states like Oregon, which has had vote-by-mail for the longest time.

Progressive States Network - Voting by Mail
Common Cause - Vote by Mail
National Network on State Election Reform - Universal Absentee Voting
Oregon Secretary of State - Vote by Mail Resources
The American Prospect - Vote by Mail: An Exchange

From the Dispatch

State Policymakers Need to Respond to Growing Clout of Latino Voters Nationwide

Feb 18 2010

A recent report from the advocacy group America’s Voice highlighted the growing power of Latino voters in the upcoming 2010 elections. Latino voters played a critical role in 2008 to propel President Obama to victory in several key swing states that previously trended Republican, including Virginia. Latino voter registration and turnout rates have exploded over the past few years: roughly 10 million voted in the 2008 Presidential election alone, a 2.5 million increase from 2004 and 4 million person increase since 2000. Latino voter registration grew by over 54% between 2000 and 2008, and turnout grew 64% over the same time period.

Election Reforms to Drive Turnout

Nov 20 2009

As part of our Shared Multi-State Agenda, the Progressive States Network is working with legislators, advocates and leading experts to promote election reforms that drive voter turnout in states across the country - just in time for the coming 2010 and 2012 election years.

Permanent Vote by Mail Option Approved in First State East of Mississippi

Jul 09 2009

On June 30th New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine signed the Vote by Mail Law of 2008, which allows all voters to permanently register to vote-by-mail, referred to as permanent absentee voting. The law, sponsored by Senator Raymond Lesniak and Assemblywoman Joan Quigley, also replaces New Jersey's multiple absentee voting systems with one streamlined system for all mail-in voters.

New Jersey Lawmakers Send Permanent Absentee Voter Bill to the Governor

May 28 2009

This week, the New Jersey legislature approved permanent absentee voting legislation [A 2451 by Rep. Joan Quigley and Sen. Raymond Lesniak] after minor reconciliation and scheduling delays kept the bill in a holding pattern for half a year.

Voting by Mail and Before Election Day: States Open Multiple Paths to the Ballot Box

Apr 13 2009

Until the last few election cycles almost all voters in a large majority of states had to go to the polls on election day to cast their ballots. During the last two presidential elections this has changed dramatically. Last November approximately 30% of voters cast their ballots early, either through the mail or in person. This marks a significant change in the way Americans vote and is forcing a similar shift in the way many campaigns get out their voters: most notably and successfully, in the presidential campaign of Barack Obama.

Today's Dispatch outlines the major policies that states are pursuing that are driving these changes, how they benefit voters and election administrators, and the GOTV opportunities for candidates where early voting is becoming the norm.

How our Election Systems Held up Under a High Turnout Election

Nov 14 2008

This year election administrators, many of whom were fielding new voting equipment for the first time, faced record turnout. After the pervasive problems with the previous two presidential elections and the fears of more election problems, both real and imagined, voters across the political spectrum faced the election with deep skepticism about its fairness and integrity. Today we give a brief overview of whether the expectations for the election were born out, and what election day tells us about where to focus reforms.

Voting Rights 2008: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Oct 17 2008

Fallout from Montana Voter Challenge Plan Continues: Last week we highlighted the tremendous job that Forward Montana and other local advocates did in bringing a massive attempt to challenge voters in Montana to a stop. In just a few days the plan was abandoned amid serious public backlash. This week there has been additional fallout as the executive director of the state GOP has stepped down. Clearly trying to keep people like deployed soldiers from voting wasn't a popular activity in the big sky state.

Making Voting Easier Assists Record Turnout in Presidential Primaries

Mar 11 2008

Interest in the presidential election has been extremely strong throughout the primary season. As a result many states have experienced voter turnout that is significantly higher than past elections. This trend has been especially striking among young voters who have doubled and tripled their rates of participation in many states. Enabling this turnout have been a number of reforms, from early voting to election day registration to mail-in voting procedures that have encouraged wider participation.

Colorado May Move to Vote by Mail Due to Faulty Electronic Voting Machines

Jan 10 2008

After a court-mandated retesting of electronic voting equipment, Colorado's Republican Secretary of State Mike Coffman decided to decertify electronic voting machines in the state due to security and accuracy problems. The testing found that the system had a one percent error rate when counting ballots, i.e. for every 100 ballots tested, there was an error with one of the ballots. In the 2006 election, 2,533,919 votes were cast and, according to the testing, 25,339 ballots would have had an error.

Core Analysis

Getting it Straight in 2008: What We Know About Vote by Mail Elections and How to Conduct Them Well

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Mail-in and Early Voting

Overview

From the Dispatch

State Policymakers Need to Respond to Growing Clout of Latino Voters Nationwide

Election Reforms to Drive Turnout

Permanent Vote by Mail Option Approved in First State East of Mississippi

New Jersey Lawmakers Send Permanent Absentee Voter Bill to the Governor

Voting by Mail and Before Election Day: States Open Multiple Paths to the Ballot Box

How our Election Systems Held up Under a High Turnout Election

Voting Rights 2008: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Making Voting Easier Assists Record Turnout in Presidential Primaries

Colorado May Move to Vote by Mail Due to Faulty Electronic Voting Machines

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