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.

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.

AP NEWS — Casting mailed ballots remained popular among voters in last year’s presidential election. A report released Monday by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission also found a surge in early in-person voting and robust use of ballot drop boxes, which have been a target of conspiracy theorists since the 2020 election.

The findings, based on data collected at the local level and submitted by states, illustrate the sustained popularity of alternate voting methods even as they have come under attack in recent years.

HIGH TURNOUT, WIDE MARGINS — In this episode, hosts Eric Fey and Brianna Lennon speak with Barbara Smith Warner, the current executive director of the National Vote at Home Institute, a national organization working to “increase voters’ access to, use of and confidence in voting at home.”

They spoke about how local election administrators can best work to inform state legislators about election administration, as well as about the resources the National Vote at Home Institute has for election administrators across the country – both those in universal vote from home states and those in states with more limits on ballot access.

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.

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.

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.

National Vote at Home Institute — Once upon a time, two states, with nearly identical demographics and similar high turnout political cultures, held the exact same election on the exact same day, with just one identical issue on their ballots.

National Vote at Home Institute — Now that more than 40 states have held a 2024 primary election, the evidence continues to reveal what is arguably the single most effective way to boost voter turnout and help revitalize America’s anemic democracy. Let’s automatically deliver ballots to all voters, before every important election. Need evidence? Here’s just three of the most compelling proof points from this year’s exercises: the states of Colorado and Montana, and Garden County, Nebraska.

The Census Bureau released its report on voter registration and turnout in the November 2022 midterm election this week, estimating a 52% turnout of eligible citizens, nearly half of whom voted early in person (15%) or by mail (32%).

Hidden in plain sight is the impact of automatically sending registered voters their ballot rather than requiring them to travel to a polling place or apply for a mailed-out ballot; states using this system had remarkable voter turnout. 

Oregon, the nation’s first state to adopt a vote at home election system in 1998, had the highest participation rate of 70%, with Maine at a distant second, at 64%. Four additional vote at home jurisdictions (Colorado, District of Columbia, Vermont, and Washington) were among the top 10 with 60% or higher turnout rates.

Others include high-contending states (i.e., Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota) that employ no-excuse laws, wherein any voter can request a mailed-out ballot. 

In contrast, the bottom ten states (e.g., Alabama, Indiana, North Carolina, and Texas) required a legal excuse to request a mailed-out ballot or a witness’ signature, the lowest turnout being 38% in West Virginia. 

Examining data by voter age (18-34) further exacerbates the notion that increased access to mailed-out ballots boosts turnout, with Oregon leading at 56%, alongside three other vote at home jurisdictions (Washington, D.C., Vermont, and Washington). In contrast, the bottom ten states (e.g., Alabama, Indiana, and West Virginia) required a legal excuse to request a mailed-out ballot or a witness’ signature.

As the report notes, the primary reason nearly half of an estimated 111 million eligible voters didn’t cast a ballot in 2022 was logistical (busy or conflicting schedules, illness or disability, or out-of-town) and easily curable with a mail ballot system.