The Expansion of Voting Before Election Day, 2000–2024
April 2, 2024
The last two decades have seen a large expansion in the number of states offering options to vote before election day, from 24
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Vote at Home Policy and Research Guide
February 21, 2024
Many states are undertaking pro-democracy reforms to improve voter access and engagement, including Same Day / Election Day (SDR / EDR) registration, online
18-34 Year Old 2020 Turnout Overall and by Key Race and Ethnicities
September 5, 2023
An analysis of voting file data provides powerful, new evidence of significantly higher turnout in the 2020 presidential election among 18–34-year-olds, including voters
Disability and Voter Turnout in the 2022 Elections
July 25, 2023
Based on Census data, voter turnout increased in 2022 by 1.6 points among citizens with disabilities relative to the 2018 midterm elections, while
Value of Ballots in Hand
July 11, 2023
As campaigns nationwide, from local to presidential, consider whether it’s worth getting mailed-out ballots into the hands of voters, the National Vote at
Success of Mailed-out Ballot Access Policies Nationwide
June 30, 2023
Much has been written about the success of temporary policies states put in place for mailed-out ballot access during the 2020 election due
Best Practices: Path to Single Sign-up and No Excuse Voting
May 24, 2023
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Unite America: Analysis of the Impact and Progress of Four Political Reforms
May 9, 2023
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Best Practices: Path to Secure Drop Boxes for Mailed Ballot Voting
April 14, 2023
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State-by-State Youth Voter Turnout Data and the Impact of Election Laws in 2022
April 6, 2023
(CIRCLE) — New estimates of youth voter turnout in the 2022 midterm elections highlight major variations and inequities in young people’s electoral participation
State Mailed-Out Ballot Policies (2024)
March 21, 2023
¹Connecticut legislature passed “No Excuse” in July 2023. Goes to voters in 2024. Download Research
Vote at Home National Scorecard Ranking States by the Quality and Reach of their Mailed-out Ballot Policies
March 15, 2023
The interactive tool identifies and weighs 15 key state policies and practices to help citizens and state policy makers boost voter turnout and
2022 General Election Turnout by Mailed-out Ballot Policy
January 19, 2023
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2022 Mailed-out Ballot Use Rates (% of total reg. voters)
November 28, 2022
A total of ~39 million ballots were cast from the ~61 million mailed out.That is ~35% of all ballots cast in the 2022
NVAHI Mailed-out Ballot Tracking and Forecasting Tool
October 14, 2022
October 14, 2022: Today the National Vote at Home Institute (NVAHI) launched a new tool to help journalists, legislators, elections officials and the
Modeling Voter Participation in 2018 Midterm Election
September 22, 2022
In this research, we examine the difference between five vote-by-mail policies in place in the 2018 midterm elections. We use statistical modeling to
Cost of Voting in the American States: 2022
September 16, 2022
(Election Law Journal) — A recent nonpartisan academic study that ranked all 50 states based on the amount of time, energy, and resources
Mail Ballot Voters Turnout at Higher Rates than Polling Place Voters
September 15, 2022
Since 2020, mail-ballot use has been on the rise across the U.S., resulting in more voters having access to the ballot box. The
Examination to Tabulation: Ballot Pre-processing Policies Explained
September 8, 2022
In this explainer, Bipartisan Policy Center and National Vote at Home Institute focus on the states that allow election workers to run ballots
Effect of Mail Applications and Ballots in Nebraska’s 2020 General Election in
September 1, 2022
In this research prepared for the National Vote at Home Coalition, researchers find that full vote-at-home precincts in Nebraska experienced as much as
Ensuring All Votes Count: Reducing Rejected Ballots
August 30, 2022
“This brief studies trends in mail ballot rejection rates in 2020 compared to previous years and how different factors, including sets of policies
Vote by Mail in 2020 and Our Collective Opportunity in 2022
February 11, 2022
“The 2020 elections presented unique challenges and opportunities that fueled a meteoric rise in the use of vote-by-mail (VBM). Since the 1800s, absentee
Evaluating Mail-Based Security for Electoral Processes Using Attack Trees
January 24, 2022
Since the reports of Russian interference in the 2016 United States General Election, the security of voting processes has received increased attention from
Vote at Home Policy and the 2020 Presidential Election
January 7, 2022
A recent study of mail-ballot use and voter participation found that turnout increased an average of 5.6% during the 2020 presidential election in
Prepaid Postage Using Pre-stamped Envelopes to Affect Turnout Costs
December 29, 2021
Research on the effects of prepaid postage on voter participation in Switzerland found a modest increase in turnout between 1.1 and 1.3 percentage
Disability and Voting Access Policies in 2020
December 1, 2021
Many states made policy changes to make it easier to vote in 2020 due to the pandemic, while some states had already provided
How Lines at the Precinct Depress Future Turnout
June 1, 2021
Researchers have increasingly paid attention to the impact that the administrative component of elections has on voter behavior. Existing research has focused almost
State-by-State 2020 Youth Voter Turnout: The Northeast
April 13, 2021
From the Center for Information and Research On Civic Learning and Engagement: Our final analysis of statewide youth voter turnout by region examines
America Goes to the Polls 2020
March 18, 2021
In an historic year for voter turnout, 2020 also underscored the power and importance of mailed-out ballots. In the top 10 states for
Does Voting by Mail Increase Fraud? Estimating the Change in Reported Voter Fraud When States Switch to Elections By Mail
December 21, 2020
U.S. voters recently participated in the 2020 general election, which determined the next president as well as other public officials at the federal,
National Data on the Impact of Mail Voting on the 2020 Presidential Election
November 5, 2020
BallotTrax, which offers a mail ballot locator and notification system, found that BallotTrax users nationwide saw a greater than 20% increase in voter
Mail Ballot Security Features: A Primer
October 16, 2020
(Brennan Center) — Jurisdictions across the country have a range of security features to protect mail ballots from misconduct. Because of the Covid-19
How Greater Mail Voting Influences California Voter Turnout
September 4, 2020
Researchers explore the effects of California’s Voter’s Choice Act (VCA), a reform adopted by 15 counties at the time that implements vote-by-mail countywide,
The participatory and partisan impacts of mandatory vote-by-mail
August 26, 2020
Policy-makers disagree on the merits of mandatory vote-by-mail. Many of these debates hinge on whether mandatory vote-by-mail advantages one political party over the
Participatory and Partisan Impacts of Mandatory Vote at Home
August 26, 2020
This research explores the effect of vote-by-mail on electoral outcomes by using historical nationwide county-level data between 1992-2018 as well as 40 million
Safeguards for Equity in the Vote at Home Model
July 30, 2020
The following report outlines the most current research on the inclusion of these populations in existing VAH systems, as well as the elements
Universal Vote-By-Mail Has No Impact on Partisan Turnout or Vote Share
June 9, 2020
From the authors: “In response to COVID-19, many scholars and policymakers are urging the United States to expand voting-by-mail programs to safeguard the electoral
Age Discrimination In Voting At Home
June 4, 2020
In several states, the opportunity to vote from home is reserved for only a subset a voters — most often seniors and the physically
State Voting Policy Changes to Deal with COVID-19
May 28, 2020
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many states implemented temporary policies to expand access to mailed-out ballots in an effort to provide
All-Mail Voting in Colorado Increases Turnout and Reduces Turnout Inequality
May 4, 2020
The COVID-19 crisis has sparked interest in all-mail voting as a potential policy solution for avoiding in-person elections. However, past research into the
Single Sign-up Efficiency Improvement Opportunity for Voters and Elections Officials
May 1, 2020
The National Vote at Home Institute conducted original research in the Fall of 2019 to see how many absentee voters from 2018 also
Signature Verification and Mail Ballots: Guarantee Access and Preserve Integrity
April 15, 2020
When voters cast ballots by mail, election officials need a method to verify their identity to ensure the integrity of the election. In
Vote at Home: What is it? Best Practices and Lessons learned
April 15, 2020
This purpose of this document is to give citizens, civic organizations, policy advocates, and local, state, federal, and tribal government officials (including election
Debunking the Myth of Voter Fraud in Mail Ballots: April, 2020 Report
April 14, 2020
Are mail-in voting systems actually more prone to fraud? Fortunately, this is an empirical question that academics, think tanks, state governments, and the
MIT Demographics on Voting at Home
March 20, 2020
The tables here address the following questions: Who voted by mail in the 2016 presidential election, by salient demographics (i.e., age, race, education,
Local Option Leads to Broader Adoption
November 15, 2019
Over the last year or so, we have seen municipalities and counties across the country start to use Vote at Home (VAH) modeled
Colorado Voting Experience
September 7, 2019
Imagine the perfect voting experience. You drop by the polling place on the way to work or school. The line is moving quickly,
Disability and Voter Turnout in the 2018 Elections
July 15, 2019
Rutger’s University analysis of disability turnout finds four and five star Vote at Home states, like Colorado and Arizona, consistently outperform others in
Examining the Voter Choice Act and Vote Center Implementation in California
July 11, 2019
This study evaluated California’s Voters Choice Act and the effects on turnout and voting methods. Abstract: “In 2018, California implemented a series of
Does Mail Voting Cause Voters to Gather Information About Politics?
June 28, 2019
This paper finds that voters who obtain their ballots by mail tend to be more informed than voters who vote at polling places