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State-by-State Youth Voter Turnout Data and the Impact of Election Laws in 2022
(CIRCLE) — New estimates of youth voter turnout in the 2022 midterm elections highlight major variations and inequities in young people’s electoral participation


The Path to Single Sign-up, No Excuse Mailed-out Ballot Voting (aka Permanent absentee)
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National Vote at Home Institute Launches Scorecard Ranking States by the Quality and Reach of their Mailed-out Ballot Policies
The interactive tool identifies and weighs 15 key state policies and practices to help citizens and state policy makers boost voter turnout and


Mail Ballot Security Features: A Primer
Mail balloting originated as a mechanism to allow military voters to participate in our elections. During the Civil War, its adoption allowed 150,000


2022 General Election Turnout by Mailed-out Ballot Policy
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2022 Mailed-out Ballot Use Rates (% of total reg. voters)
A total of ~39 million ballots were cast from the ~61 million mailed out.That is ~35% of all ballots cast in the 2022


The Secret Success of Mailed-out Ballot Access Policies Nationwide
Much has been written about the success of temporary policies states put in place for mailed-out ballot access during the 2020 election due


National Vote at Home Institute launches new mailed-out ballot tracking & forecasting tool.
October 14, 2022: Today the National Vote at Home Institute (NVAHI) launched a new tool to help journalists, legislators, elections officials and the


Vote-By-Mail: Modeling Voter Participation in the 2018 Midterm Election
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
A recent nonpartisan academic study that ranked all 50 states based on the amount of time, energy, and resources people must make to


Mail-ballot voters turnout at higher rates than polling place voters
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


From Examination to Tabulation: Ballot Pre-processing Policies Explained
In this explainer, Bipartisan Policy Center and National Vote at Home Institute focus on the states that allow election workers to run ballots


The Effect of Mailed Ballots and Mailed Absentee Ballot Applications in the 2020 General Election in Nebraska
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
“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
“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
Since the reports of Russian interference in the 2016 United States General Election, the security of voting processes has received increased attention from




Vote-by-Mail Policy and the 2020 Presidential Election
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
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


Fact sheet: Disability and Voting Access Policies in 2020
Many states made policy changes to make it easier to vote in 2020 due to the pandemic, while some states had already provided


The downstream consequences of long waits: How lines at the precinct depress future turnout
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
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
In an historic year for voter turnout, 2020 also underscored the power and importance of mailed-out ballots. In the top 10 states for


BallotTrax Releases National Data on the Impact of Mail-In Voting on the 2020 Presidential Election
BallotTrax, which offers a mail ballot locator and notification system, found that BallotTrax users nationwide saw a greater than 20% increase in voter


How Greater Vote-by-Mail Influences California Voter Turnout
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
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 VAH Model
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
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



REPORT: Age Discrimination In Voting At Home
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
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
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


“Permanent Absentee” Efficiency Improvement Opportunity for Voters and Elections Officials
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: Guaranteeing Access While Preserving Integrity
When voters cast ballots by mail, election officials need a method to verify their identity to ensure the integrity of the election. In


VAH – What it is, best practices, and lessons learned
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
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 by Mail
The tables here address the following questions: Who voted by mail in the 2016 presidential election, by salient demographics (i.e., age, race, education,


VAH Local Leads to Broader Adoption
Over the last year or so, we have seen municipalities and counties across the country start to use Vote at Home (VAH) modeled


The Colorado Voting Experience
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
Rutger’s University analysis of disability turnout finds four and five star Vote at Home states, like Colorado and Arizona, consistently outperform others in



Changing the Way People Vote? An Examination of the Voter Choice Act and Vote Center Implementation in California
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 Vote-by-Mail Cause Voters to Gather Information About Politics?
This paper finds that voters who obtain their ballots by mail tend to be more informed than voters who vote at polling places


Mail Voting and Minority Turnout: Evidence from Ohio
This report presents evidence that greater access to mail ballots is associated with greater county-level voter turnout, including in counties with larger Black


Considerations for Adopting Voting by Mail in Connecticut
Foreword: “This report was prepared in response to Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s Executive Order No. 64 issued in February 2018, directing “an



New Electorate Study: How Did the Voter’s Choice Act Affect Turnout in 2018?
Research Questions: “In its first year of implementation, did the Voter’s Choice Act (VCA) change turnout patterns in the counties – Madera, Napa,


The Turnout Effects of All-Mail Election Systems in Upballot and Downballot Races in Utah 2016
This research finds that, in addition to higher overall turnout, down-ballot turnout was higher in Vote At Home optional precincts than in polling



Catalist Report 2018 Absentee by State by Age
Catalist and NVAHI have discussed the 2018 absentee and early vote totals and the impact of age. Below, we present the absentee and


2018 Primary Turnout Graph
This graph displays turnout by state in the 2018 primaries, in map form. Data from the Bipartisan Policy Center Download Research


Center for American Progress: Increasing Voter Participation in America
This report on methods to increase voter participation cites universal vote by mail, no-excuse mail voting, and vote centers as solutions. Download Research