Celebrating 25 Years of Vote at Home

This week we celebrated 25 years since Oregon took the leap to automatically deliver ballots to all registered voters for every election.

Huge thanks to Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Former Oregon Secretary of State, Phil Keisling for sharing their insights on how Vote at Home has improved voter turnout across the country.

WATCH WEBINAR

Adrian Fontes, Arizona SoS

“Once folks start voting at home, they love it. Particularly for voters in Greater Arizona, it does increase access and turnout.”

Phil Keisling, Fmr Oregon SoS

“Oregon’s experience shows the real turnout power of how sending ballots can boost engagement.”

Barbara Smith Warner, Exec. Director, NVAHI

“You can only be successful in this work if you’re engaged with the local democracy folks on the ground.”

Highlights:

  • We meet states where they are and help move them toward more access to Vote at Home, whether that’s Maine or Massachusetts, Alaska or Texas.
  • Defense is sometimes the best offense, and we have fought off attacks from Idaho and Wyoming to Utah and Oklahoma, delaying rollbacks and protecting voter access.
  • Launching a statewide effort in Pennsylvania, supported by the William Penn Foundation, to work in coalition to create statewide ballot curing standards.

We also covered:

  • Nebraska’s small counties that send every voter a ballot seeing turnout double or triple the turnout of the rest of the state.
  • Michigan’s use of Single Sign Up as a step toward universal Vote at Home.
  • More people using Vote at Home in 2020 than any other voting method, and maintaining strong usage despite misinformation campaigns.

If you have questions, feel free to connect with us.

A Deep Dive into Absentee Ballot Rejection in the 2020 General Election

The November 2020 general election saw a surge of mail-in/absentee voting, mainly in response to safety concerns surrounding voting in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the overall total of mail ballots cast went from 28.8 million in 2016 to 66.4 million in 2020, a whopping 131 percent increase. With it likely that mail-in voting will continue to be prevalent, it is important to examine the nuances of the data more deeply, in order to improve the process for voters and election administrators alike. Today, we hone in on one particular facet of mail voting during the 2020 general election, absentee ballot rejection.

 

In this exploration, we 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. 

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Trump’s Executive Order Could Jeopardize ‘Hundreds of Thousands’ of Future Mail Ballots

NPR — The state of Washington has been allowing election officials to count mail ballots that don’t make it to their office until after Election Day for more than a hundred years now. It’s a practice that could be prohibited in upcoming elections, thanks to a sweeping executive order signed by President Trump last month.

 

Whether the order stands, though, is an open question. So far, there’s been a slew of lawsuits filed against the current administration in response to this election order — including one recently filed by 19 states.

 

Ultimately, Barbara Smith Warner said she thinks Trump will not be allowed to tell states they can’t count mail ballots after Election Day.

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Rep. Hoyle Introduces Vote at Home Act to Improve Americans’ Access to the Ballot Box

Rep Hoyle — Representative Val Hoyle introduced the Vote at Home Act to provide a new path forward on voting that makes elections more accessible, more secure, and more affordable. Senator Ron Wyden also intends to introduce a companion bill in the Senate.

 

Conversely, the Vote at Home Act expands vote by mail initiatives which several states, including Oregon, have found successfully increases voter participation. This was also the case nationally in 2020, when despite a global pandemic, the general election had record high turnout as a result of more vote by mail options. Vote by mail also lowers the cost of holding elections. For example, after the state of Oregon adopted vote by mail, the cost of administering an election dropped nearly 30 percent.

 

The Vote at Home Act is endorsed by the National Vote at Home Institute, Stand Up America, End Citizens United/Let America Vote Action Fund, and the Institute for Responsive Government Action.

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White House Wants Mail Ballots to Arrive By Election Day, States Rush to Toe the Line

Bolts — The Kansas legislature in 2017 passed a law to let elections officials count mail ballots that arrived after Election Day, for up to three extra days, so long as the ballots were postmarked before polls closed. Kansas politicos joined other states with such a policy in calling this a “grace period.” Fast forward to this year: politicians nationwide can’t stand grace periods.

 

Beyond their acute concerns over grace-period bans, voting rights advocates are wary of how these changes fit into broader restrictions on voter access. Barbara Smith-Warner, was one of several voting experts who told Bolts that grace periods are one battle in the war to eliminate vote-by-mail altogether.

 

“You can cover it in nice language—We want to count the votes sooner, so they should be received sooner—but it’s a good way to kill two birds with one stone,” she said. “You weaken and decrease voting at home with mail ballots, and you lay the groundwork for going back to the fantasy, 1950s idea of everyone only voting on one day with paper ballots.”

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How will USPS Changes Impact Vote at Home?

National Vote at Home Institute — The United States Postal Service has been the bedrock service of much of American history. It predates the constitution, and has helped our country to establish itself, grow and thrive for more than 200 years. Since the passage by Congress of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, the USPS has functioned independently of the federal government, and is completely self-funding, receiving no tax revenue. The guarantee of universal postal delivery at a single price is a large part of the faith and trust that the American people put in their postal service, and why it has helped voting by mail to thrive since it first began as absentee voting during the Civil War.

 

The threat to take over the USPS and bring it under the management of the Commerce Department puts many services that we take for granted at risk, from delivering vital medication to delivering a ballot. We’ve already seen attacks on the USPS, and removing its independence poses serious questions.

 

The most obvious is the threat of privatizing the USPS, selling off the most profitable routes while putting universal service in peril. Next is the potential politicization of the Postal Service. The current administration demonstrates on a daily basis their enthusiasm for seeking revenge on political opponents. It is not a stretch to envision bans on mailing items they don’t like, or differing postal rates for friends vs. enemies.

Both of those risks combine to threaten the future of Vote at Home, also known as vote by mail or absentee voting. In the 2024 election, a third of all voters used mail ballots to make their voice heard. They Vote at Home because it’s convenient, delivering their ballot directly to them, so they don’t have to worry about child care or work schedules or weather events preventing them from voting. They Vote at Home because it gives them more time to research every race on the ballot and be a more informed voter. And they Vote at Home because their local election administrators trust the USPS to deliver every ballot to every address in their community for the same price; and they trust the USPS to deliver every one of their ballots back to be counted, no matter where they live or who they’re voting for.

 

All of those elements will be at risk with a Postal Service that loses its independence under the control of this administration, and the greatest risk is loss of trust. Confidence in voting is one of the most important elements of a successful democracy – confidence that your vote makes a difference, that your vote counts, and that every vote will be received, counted and treated equally.

New Report on Primary Voting Highlights Path to Increase Voter Participation

Universal Vote at Home states that automatically sent ballots to all active registered voters saw nearly double the national turnout rate

Today, the National Vote at Home Institute (NVAHI) issued a research paper examining turnout in the 2024 primary election cycle. In addition to documenting the abysmal overall turnout – with more than four in five voters not participating – the report found that Universal Vote at Home (VAH) states produced nearly double the turnout rate of non-Vote at Home states in primary elections. This super minority of voters determine the results of primary races that are now so important that they effectively choose an estimated 90% of winners for top federal and state offices.

 

In regular State Primary Elections, where voters chose Republican and Democratic party nominees for the November general election, only 44 million of an estimated 235 million eligible citizens cast ballots, or less than 1 in 5. In contrast, Universal Vote at Home states, where every active registered voter is automatically delivered a ballot, aggregate primary election turnout levels were approximately double those in polling-place-centric states. In these jurisdictions, the combined turnout was 30% of eligible citizens and 34% of registered voters, compared to 16% and 19% in non-VAH states.

 

“There’s arguably no simpler or more powerful approach to dramatically boost participation in these critical elections than adopting the “Vote at Home” election system approach now used in eight states and the District of Columbia,” noted Phil Keisling, former Oregon Secretary of State and chief author of the report.

 

The NVAHI analysis also revealed that the median age – half older, half younger – of 2024 primary voters nationwide was 65. Voters 65 and older had a six-times higher turnout rate (36%) than those aged 18-34, who had just a 6% turnout. VAH states also consistently showed higher voter turnout across all age groups.

 

“This report is the latest in a long line of evidence of how Vote at Home transforms elections by centering the voter in the process,” said NVAHI Executive Director Barbara Smith Warner. “For disabled voters, younger voters, primary voters and all voters, Vote at Home means elections that are safe, secure and accessible to all.”

 

Read the Executive Summary and Full Report here.

 

About the National Vote at Home Institute

Founded in 2018, the National Vote at Home Institute is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization that works to increase voters’ access to, use, and confidence in voting at home, where voters are delivered their ballot, return them by postage-free mail or in-person to a range of accessible, convenient and secure locations, and can track them online to ensure their vote is 

Response to New Executive Order That Would Change Election Systems

National Vote at Home Institute — The National Vote at Home Institute is closely monitoring this week’s election-related executive order and working alongside state advocates to assess its potential impact. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protect every citizen’s right to vote in the way that best suits them, as well as upholding the constitutional authority of states to establish and oversee their own election processes.

 

Americans have utilized some form of mail-in voting for over 100 years. This order mandates that only ballots received by the close of polls on Election Day (except for military and overseas ballots) can be counted, threatening to disenfranchise thousands of working families, rural residents, disabled voters and seniors. This order would unilaterally overturn laws in 15 states and the District of Columbia which allow ballots that are postmarked by Election Day to be counted when they are received within a designated grace period. One of the strengths of American elections is its decentralized system. This attempt to unilaterally overturn state election laws is not only a violation of states’ rights but is also likely to face significant legal challenges.

 

Beyond its legal overreach, this order threatens to disrupt well-established election procedures, create unnecessary confusion for voters who rely on mail ballot options, and impose financial and logistical burdens on states already managing complex election operations and budget constraints. Elections are already underway in communities across America. By forcing abrupt changes, it risks undermining election officials’ ability to conduct elections in a manner that best serves their voters.

 

Despite this and other attempts to undermine Vote at Home and sow confusion and distrust in our elections, the National Vote at Home Institute will continue our work to support state election administrators, champion policies that protect and expand voter access, and ensure that Vote at Home elections stay safe, secure and accessible to all.

READ FULL EXECUTIVE ORDER TEXT

Voting at Home Remains Secure as Local Election Officials Respond to Election Interference Attempts in Oregon and Washington State

(October 29, 2024) — Ballot boxes were set on fire in Oregon and Washington state this week in an attempt to discourage Americans from participating in the most vital element of our democracy—voting. Yet Voting at Home maintains its strength and resilience as a secure voting method. The incidents have been met with swift action from local election officials committed to preserving the integrity of the electoral process and who have previously implemented robust security measures to protect mailed-out ballots against any attempts at voter fraud.

“Voting at home continues to be a safe and convenient method of voting that maximizes voter engagement and participation. Its security features, from unique ballots tied to each voter to signature verification, ballot tracking, and ballot curing, have been on display through the response to these attacks,” said Barbara Smith Warner, executive director of the National Vote at Home Institute.

In response to the acts of vandalism, local officials from Multnomah County, Oregon, and Clark County, Washington, have reaffirmed their dedication to safeguarding the electoral process. Both counties executed security plans to address the threat, demonstrating their readiness to counteract election interference. Since 2018, jurisdictions have received $952 million in election security funding to enhance security and maintain their constituents’ trust.

“Your vote is your voice, and we applaud the work of local election officials who remain resolute against attempts to undermine the electoral process,” added Smith Warner. “The integrity of our democratic process is paramount, and any interference with our elections will face harsh legal consequences.”

About the National Vote at Home Institute

Founded in 2018, the National Vote at Home Institute is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization that works to increase voters’ access to, use, and confidence in voting at home, where voters are delivered their ballot, return them by postage-free mail or in-person to a range of accessible, convenient and secure locations, and can track them online to ensure their vote is 

Universal Mail Ballot Delivery Boosts Turnout: The Causal Effects of Sending Mail Ballots to All Registered Voters

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, some American states had transitioned to universal voting-by-mail, where all registered voters receive a mail ballot. But due to the pandemic, universal voting-by-mail was suddenly used in a larger number of states in2020. Here we study a unique situation in which registered voters in some legislative districts in Los Angeles County were subjected to universal voting-by-mail in theMarch 2020 primary. Using difference-in-differences and geographic boundary-based designs on individual-level records, we take advantage of this within-jurisdiction situation to estimate the causal effects of universal voting-by-mail on voter turnout and on who votes. Our results indicate that voter turnout increased by 3 to 4 percentage points for voters who do not automatically receive a mail ballot, and the increase is generally larger for registered partisan voters than those without a party affiliation.

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