voteathomedev, Author at National Vote at Home Institute

4 Facts You Need to Counter Trump’s Lies About Mail-In Voting

THE HILL — Is it Groundhog Day? Because the president is still repeating the same tired lies about mail-in ballots that he’s been pushing for nearly a decade. These claims have been investigated, litigated, and debunked—sometimes by his own allies—yet they keep returning because they serve a purpose: to sow doubt, decrease confidence, and weaken democracy.

Many have already zeroed in on the president’s utter lack of legal authority to restrict, much less eliminate, states’ use of mail ballots. Even Congress’s authority, under Article I Section 4 of the US Constitution, is severely limited.

But just as important is the complete and utter inaccuracy of every one of his accusations. Here’s the facts to counter the lies about mail ballots, whether you think of them as absentee voting, vote by mail, or vote at home.

Mail Ballots Are Not A Threat to Democracy, But An Invitation to it

THE HILL — You know it’s a day that ends in “Y” when mail ballots are being attacked, whether by the president or one of his acolytes. No matter how thoroughly these tired lies and baseless accusations have been investigated, litigated and debunked, they keep returning.

But whether you call it vote by mail, absentee voting or vote at home, it’s not new, risky or partisan. In fact, mail ballots are one of the most time-tested, secure and bipartisan voting methods in America. And instead of being a threat to democracy, mail ballots might just be the solution to the problem of American democracy becoming a mere spectator sport, where an aging, shrinking number of voters determine most of our electoral outcomes.

White House pledge to scrap mail-in voting could throw U.S. elections into a tailspin

CBC RADIO CANADA — The White House is threatening to ban mail-in voting ahead of the country’s midterm elections — a maneuver that could throw the electoral system into disarray and disenfranchise millions of voters who rely on this method to cast a ballot.

But whether you call it vote by mail, absentee voting or vote at home, it’s not new, risky or partisan. In fact, mail ballots are one of the most time-tested, secure and bipartisan voting methods in America. And instead of being a threat to democracy, mail ballots might just be the solution to the problem of American democracy becoming a mere spectator sport, where an aging, shrinking number of voters determine most of our electoral outcomes.

Barbara Smith Warner, the executive director of the National Vote at Home Institute, told CBC News that such changes would be so disruptive that it would make it difficult if not impossible to have a fully functioning election in 2026. “And that is not a coincidence. It’s inviting chaos,” she said.

“This is a straight-up attempt to disenfranchise voters. Any attempt to roll back, eliminate or limit voting at home with mail ballots is merely to silence voters.”

Does Prepaid Postage Increase Voter Turnout?

Political participation is the backbone of democracy. One measure to increase voter turnout in vote-by-mail systems is prepaying postage. Previous studies investigated the effect of prepaid postage and found that it significantly increases turnout.

Using an original data set covering all national direct democratic votes in 1893 Swiss municipalities from 2005 to 2023, They replicate earlier studies and investigate temporal as well as contextual variation. They find that the effect of prepaid postage on turnout is contingent upon both time and municipal characteristics: 1) postage starts to increase turnout only after three to five years. 2) Abolishing prepaid postage reverses the increase in turnout. 3) The effect is larger in municipalities with more post boxes and a greater average distance to the office of municipal authorities. The evidence from our study suggests that prepaid postage cannot be viewed as a one-size-fits-all solution.

In this exploration, they see that absentee/mail-ballot rejection rates dropped significantly in 2020 compared to 2016, dropping the most in states that had previously erected high barriers to the use of mail ballots. Pre-processing laws and deadlines for the receipt of mail ballots didn’t seem to have much effect on rejection rates. Policy choices that did seem to matter were requiring multiple forms of identification with a returned ballot, which significantly increased rejection rates, and allowing ballots with administrative deficiencies to be “cured,” which significantly decreased rejection rates.

White House wants to stop states from voting by mail and using voting machines

NPR — The White House announced Monday on social media site plans to “lead a movement” to get rid of mail-in ballots and voting machines in the country ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Part of the plan includes signing an executive order that would bar states from using mail ballots and potentially some voting machines. Saying — without evidence — that voting machines are “highly inaccurate,” as well as more expensive than watermarked paper ballots.

Barbara Smith Warner, executive director of the National Vote at Home Institute, which advocates for wide use of mail-in voting, said it would be nearly impossible to actually get rid of mail-in voting in such a short timeframe. But she said she believes the larger effort here is to “destabilize” next year’s elections.

“Efforts to eliminate this are ignoring the facts and really are just trying to undermine confidence in our elections overall,” she said. “This is yet another power grab of federal overreach into the states’ rights to run their own election.”

White House vows to end vote-by-mail elections; local leaders push back

OREGON KGW 8 —Oregon and Washington state and local leaders are lining up to defend vote-by-mail elections as the White House called vote-by-mail a fraud during a Monday news conference.

A local leader with the National Vote at Home Institute says anyone who’s voted in Oregon must recognize the system is secure after going through all the safeguards.

“There’s no such thing as making copies and submitting them,” Barbara Smith Warner said, “because every ballot is tied with that barcode to one individual voter.” Smith Warner said people can track their ballots from delivery to the collection box. She said some form of vote-by-mail is used in every state.

“Voting is the foundational element of our democracy, it is what makes everything else work,” Smith Warner said. She said a previous executive order by Trump regarding vote-by-mail submissions after the voting deadline is hung up in court due to lawsuits including one by Oregon’s and Washington’s attorneys general.

Defending Vote at Home from Attacks

Vote at Home is a secure and proven method of voting used for decades by more than 40 million Americans in states led by both Republicans and Democrats. Attempts to eliminate mail ballots ignore the facts, and represent an unprecedented federal overreach that would violate states’ constitutional authority to administer their own elections.

These efforts disregard the will of voters across red, blue, and purple states, and erode public trust in our democratic process. Across the country, from Utah, where every active registered voter is automatically delivered a ballot, to Arizona, where about 80% consistently vote from home, and Michigan, where voters overwhelmingly approved no-excuse absentee voting and millions have since embraced it, Vote at Home is not just effective, it’s essential.

The National Vote at Home Institute remains steadfast in defending every American’s right to vote in the way that best suits them. Despite ongoing efforts to restrict access, we will continue supporting election officials, championing policies that protect and expand mailed-out ballots, and ensuring that Vote at Home remains safe, secure, and accessible to all.

Delivering Democracy 60 Years After the Voting Rights Act

On August 6, 1965, the signing of the Voting Rights Act marked a crucial turning point in American democracy. Spearheaded by the courage of Selma activists—the same movement that overcame literacy tests, poll taxes, and violent oppression—it banned racial discrimination in voting and empowered the federal government to ensure access for all.

The results were immediate: in the first year alone, 250,000 Black Americans were newly registered, and by 1967, the majority were voting in nine Southern states. This was democracy in action and in motion.

Today, as America commemorates the 60th anniversary of this Act, voting rights are facing an unprecedented attack. Weapons of disenfranchisement like gerrymandering, voter roll purges, and strict ID laws are testing its resilience, and disinformation is making voters question the very system of democracy that the right to vote upholds.

One powerful tool to push back against these assaults? Universal Vote at Home: automatically delivering ballots to all active registered voters. In a time when we work and shop from home, voting at home means greater ballot access and voter convenience without sacrificing security.

A wide range of research shows that when you center the voter by delivering their ballot, a dramatic increase in turnout results, especially among groups that are historically disenfranchised. One example: New Jersey, which delivered a ballot to every voter in 2020 but reverted to a voting place-centered system in 2024. In 2020, 18-34 year old New Jersey voters led the country in turnout at 67% when their ballots were delivered to them; that turnout dropped in 2024 by more than a third to just 42%.

Universal Vote at Home isn’t a radical experiment. It’s the fulfillment of the Voting Rights Act’s promise: to ensure federal protections align with voter convenience. It stands as a fulfillment, not a departure, from the 1965 vision. But current Vote at Home regulations vary widely, and in some states, they penalize the very voters the Voting Rights Act was meant to protect via complex application requirements, a lack of opportunity to fix ballot errors, and other barriers.

In 1965, America dismantled voting barriers with courage. Today, let’s honor that legacy. Not with new restrictions, but with systems that deliver the ballot to every mailbox and uphold the fundamental promise of democracy.

It’s time for Pennsylvania to make voting easier

YORK DAILY RECORD — In the May 2025 primary election, voter turnout in many Pennsylvania communities was alarmingly low. In some municipalities, fewer than 1 in 10 registered voters cast a ballot. This isn’t voter apathy — it’s a policy failure. With our general municipal and judicial elections rapidly approaching, low voter turnout should concern all of us, especially in Philadelphia, the birthplace of American democracy.

It was in Philadelphia that the Framers declared independence, debated the Constitution, and lit the torch of representative government. Nearly 250 years later, that torch is dimming — not because people don’t care, but because our voting systems create unnecessary barriers to participation.

Too many elections in Pennsylvania still rely on outdated, inconvenient models: weekday-only voting, limited polling places, and inconsistent or confusing rules about mail-in voting and ballot curing. We are asking too much of voters to perform a basic civic duty.

National Vote at Home Institute Files Amicus Brief Urging Court to Block Ballot Receipt Deadline in Executive Order, Calls Out Federal Overreach

The National Vote at Home Institute (NVAHI), a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to expanding secure Vote at Home systems, filed an amicus brief in support of the Washington/Oregon suit challenging Section 7(a) of Executive Order No. 14248, which would require mailed-out ballots to be received, rather than postmarked, by Election Day in federal elections.

NVAHI argues that this provision of the executive order is unconstitutional and would disenfranchise tens of thousands of lawful voters, particularly those in rural areas or with limited access to ballot drop boxes.

“The U.S. constitution is clear on this issue. Every state determines how its elections will be run. This executive order is not just about ballot deadlines, it’s about a power grab of unprecedented federal overreach into state elections,” said Barbara Smith Warner, NVAHI executive director.

Over the last 20 years, more than one billion ballots have been delivered safely to voters across the United States. All 50 states and Washington, D.C., now allow Vote at Home in some form, and 18 states accept ballots postmarked by Election Day, a standard that is both secure and essential for protecting voting rights.

Our amicus brief includes findings that show:

Vote at Home systems increase voter turnout by an average of 3-4 percentage points
Fraud is exceedingly rare, with fewer than 0.00006% of roughly 250 million mailed-out ballots over 20 years showing any credible evidence of fraud.
States that expanded Vote at Home access saw increased participation among voters with disabilities and young voters, particularly voters of color.
Rural voters would be disproportionately harmed by an Election Day receipt deadline, due to slower mail delivery and fewer ballot drop boxes.

The brief cites recent warnings from the National Association of State Election Directors and the U.S. Postal Service acknowledging growing delays in ballot delivery, especially in rural communities.

“This Executive Order is a direct threat to voters. Thousands of Americans who follow the rules and mail their ballots on time could be silenced because of mail delays beyond their control. That’s not democracy, it’s disenfranchisement,” said Smith Warner.

About National Vote At Home Institute

The National Vote at Home Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to increase voters’ access to, use of and confidence in mailed-out ballots. Since 2018, NVAHI has helped policymakers and election administrators facilitate innovation of Vote at Home systems by providing resources and best practices on research, policy and communications. Our long-range vision is a nationwide Universal Vote at Home election system in which all active registered voters are automatically delivered their mailed-out ballot, to be returned by postage-free mail or in person to a wide range of secure locations, can track them online in real-time, and easily and promptly correct any administrative errors.