Issues

Our Mission

Our goal is simple: to build an electorate that accurately represents the diversity of America’s citizenry. Through advocacy, litigation, and technical assistance, Project Vote is fighting to make sure that every eligible citizen is able to register, vote, and cast a ballot that counts.

Voter Registration Policy

We know that most Americans will vote, once they get registered. That’s why Project Vote’s work is focused on promoting sensible laws, rules, and procedures that make it easier, not harder, for eligible citizens to become registered voters. Read more

Voting Policy

The way Americans vote is changing, and Project Vote works to make sure we're making the polls more, not less, accessible. Read more

List Maintenance

Voter registration is only the first step: we also have to make sure that registrants get on the rolls, and stay on the rolls. That’s why Project Vote works to protect eligible voters from wrongful purges, voter caging, and other dangerous efforts to “clean-up” the lists. Read more

Government Agency Registration

Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to ensure that state governments played a leading role in providing our most vulnerable citizens a chance to participate in American democracy. Project Vote and our partners are working to make sure they do, and to realize the full potential of this landmark law. Read more

Civic Engagement

Since the beginning of the Civil Rights movement, voter engagement efforts have played a vital role in our democratic process. Project Vote brings our 20 years of field experience to help community-organizations run efficient, effective voter registration drives and Get Out the Vote programs. Read more

Bill Tracking

Project Vote's bill tracking service provides up-to-the-minute information on election legislation—good and bad—that has been proposed in state legislatures and the U.S. Congress. Read more

Most Recent / Relevant Items

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Project Vote Releases New Report on Composition of the 2008 Electorate

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Representational Bias in the 2008 Electorate reviews the story of who was eligible to vote, who was registered to vote, and who did vote in the 2008 general election. Read more

Bipartisan Support for Bringing Voter Registration to the 21st Century Underway

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Not too long ago, the means of accessing and staying on the voter registration rolls was a highly controversial issue that often got lost in a partisan shuffle. However, after more than two million voters were unable to vote due to problems with their voter registration last year, policymakers and advocates on both sides are finally listening. Whether it is extravagant efforts to automate voter registration on the national level or revamping state voting systems to utilize citizens’ access to the Internet, improving voter registration is a glimmering goal in 2009 that brings promise for restoring the democratic process in the years to come. Read more

Representational Bias in the 2008 Electorate

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A new report, Representational Bias, identifies disparities in the changing American electorate. Read more

What “Liberal” Media? Study Shows How Press is Often Manipulated to Serve Right-Wing Agenda

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Media manipulation by the right-wing to influence public perception has been a decade-long tactic to undermine voter registration in America.... Read more

Gov. Schwarzenegger Approves Engaging Young CA Voters Early

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The future of voter registration and civic engagement may just stand a chance. California (a populous state of many voters-to-be) will soon allow all 17-year-old citizens to preregister to vote so that they will be automatically enrolled as legal voters once they turn 18. This newer trend in legislation, which boasts bipartisan support, has recently passed in North Carolina and has been successfully implemented in five other states, including Florida. Read more

How to Make Voter Registration Accessible to All Citizens

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After the 2008 election, voter registration has become a focal point for legislators and advocates from all ends of the spectrum. Whichever way it is sliced, the number of registered eligible voters has still declined since 2004. As multiple problems have been cited as the cause for lowered registration rates (including mobility issues, unequal access to registration opportunities, voter caging, and even so-called apathy), voting rights advocates as well as legislators have been vocal about their solutions. Read more

Indiana State Conference of NAACP v. Gargano (Indiana)

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In October 2009 Project Vote and its partners filed suit against officials in Indiana for violations of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Read more

Indiana State Conference of NAACP v. Gargano: Settlement Agreement

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Settlement agreement in which Indiana public assistance agencies agree to comply with voter registration requirements of the National Voter Registration Act. Read more

Arizona City Tries New “Voting Center” Model for City Elections

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Here's an interesting way one Arizona city is dealing with early voting and provisional ballot problems, at least in their city elections. The city council of Phoenix has approved an election plan that would essentially eliminate the need to designate polling places during local elections. The plan is currently being reviewed by the Department of Justice and is expected to go into effect with the next mayoral election in 2011. Read more

All Voters are Unequal: Voter ID Law Exposed as Unfair, States Still Follow Suit

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When an appellate court shut down Indiana’s unequal mandate for polling-place voter ID, it sent a clear signal that—partisan politics aside—election laws should be assessed on whether or not all voters are given equal access to the democratic process. Yet, despite violations of law and the fact that absentee voting is more susceptible to voter fraud activity than in-person voting, other states continue to emulate what was one of the country’s toughest voter ID laws. Read more