Election Official Info

ELECTION OFFICIAL INFO

Mail ballot policies create the rules for election administration, and implementation is the roadmap and execution for the election itself. We are committed to helping election administrators across the nation successfully conduct elections with increasing numbers of voters choosing to vote at home.

HOW WE CAN HELP YOU

OUTBOUND

IN-PERSON

COMMUNICATIONS

RESOURCING

INBOUND

REQUESTS

SAFEGUARDS

STATE TO LOCAL

CONNECT WITH OUR TEAM TODAY

ELECTION OFFICIALS TOOLKITS

Communications Toolkit

Clear and focused communication will be essential as election officials accommodate increased mail ballot requests from voters wanting to vote safely at home this November, but less than 5% of election offices have dedicated communications staff. This Election Official Communications Toolkit is for all election officials, but particularly those of you who are looking to add more tools to your box. Whether you have no communications capacity or a large budget, you can find something useful to include in your elections communications plan.

Operations Toolkit

Administering voting by mail requires significant planning and resources. This Election Official Operations Toolkit contains a calculator tool that can help election officials consider what staffing, space, and other resources to plan for in serving a large number of mail voters. This user-friendly Excel spreadsheet takes as its inspiration the polling place resource planning tools built by Aaron Strauss, Mark Pelzarsky, Stephen Graves, and Rong Yuan. Like those tools, it allows election officials to input data and simulate multiple scenarios to improve resource allocation. This toolkit was created by Katy Peters, prepared with funding and support from the Democracy Fund, and administered by NVAHI.

View Communications Toolkit

View Operations Toolkit

ELECTION OFFICIALS TOOLKITS

Communications Toolkit

View Communications Toolkit

Operations Toolkit

View Operations Toolkit

Vote at Home Best Practices

From NVAHI

COVID-19 Webinars

COVID-19 Webinars for Elections Officials from the Center for Technology and Civic Life.

Scaling Up Vote by Mail Toolkit

Toolkit for scaling up vote by mail from the Center for Civic Design.

Webinars from NVAHI and Partners

Three recorded webinars on envelope design, tracking tools, supplementary tools created by the National Vote at Home Institute, Center for Civic Design and the Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL)

Implementation Timeline

A vote by mail project timeline that can be easily adapted to your timeframe.

Inbound Processes

There are a variety of steps from the time ballots are brought back to the counting facility by ballot collection teams or delivered by USPS, until the ballots are permanently sealed in storage containers for the retention period.

Signature Verification and Cure

Some states require a voter’s signature on the envelope to match the signature on the voter registration form, which involves training, review, time, and security considerations.

Optimizing Mail Ballot Processes

A presentation on optimizing mailed ballot processes with the USPS – from Democracy Fund, Tammy Patrick

Outbound Processes

Information for managing an increase in outbound ballots, including partnerships with your procurement office, designers, envelope and mail ballot print vendors, the US Postal Service (USPS), and mail fulfillment centers.

Electronic Ballot Delivery

Many election officials are looking for ways to expand the options they can provide to their voters to cast a ballot privately and independently, including electronic ballot delivery and marking.

Report Problems with Mailed Ballots

Electionmail.org: to report any problems with mailed ballots

Presentation on Mail Ballot Envelope Design

A presentation on mail ballot envelope design best practices from the Center for Civic Design

Ballot Applications

A process to help voters apply to vote by mail by sending them an application or by building an online request tool should be put into motion as early as possible before an election.

Ballot Drop Boxes

A ballot drop box provides a secure and convenient means for voters to return their mail ballot.

Mail Ballot Envelope Design

Mail ballot envelope design best practices from the Center for Civic Design.

Colorado Voting Process

How Chicago Board of Elections Encourages Voting by Mail

Oregon Manual

Oregon’s Vote by Mail procedures manual.

How Colorado Handles Incoming Mailed Ballots

Video of how Colorado handles incoming mailed ballots – best practices at work Orange County, CA is a role model for doing this at scale.

CO Signature Verification Guide

Colorado’s signature verification training guide.

View Colorado’s Voter Website

Michigan Secretary of State on Encouraging Vote by Mail

Video from Michigan Secretary of State – encouraging mailed-out ballot signup

How Colorado Explained the Move

Here’s a video of how Colorado explained the move to vote centers.

Risk Limiting Audits

Report on risk limiting audits Part 1.

Risk Limiting Audits (2)

Report on risk limiting audits Part 2.

STATES HELPED AND JURISDICTIONS SUPPORTED

At the National Vote at Home Institute, success looks like every state in our union offering access and convenience to all voters. Mail ballot access is a pivotal part of enranchising voters, as it has been shown to increase turnout across demographics, regardless of party affiliation, while maintaining security. No state has a perfect election system, and we work with any and all states and local jurisdictions looking to enact and implement voter-centric policies. In 2019 alone, we visited 28 states to support voting at home policy change and election implementation.

STATES WE VISITED IN 2019