As a voter, you may run into tricky questions about voter registration, local voting options, and how to protect your voting rights. Below is a list of essential resources that will help you and your community members ensure that you can cast your ballot and have your vote be counted:
VOTE411.org, a resource of the League of Women Voters: VOTE411.org is an online voter education resource of the League of Women Voters and a “one-stop-shop” for election-related information. The site provides a voter registration tool, a nationwide polling place lookup, and ballot guides for voters in every state. For more information, visit: http://vote411.org
Election Protection Coalition: The Election Protection Coalition, a project of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, is a national, nonpartisan initiative that works year-round to ensure that all voters have an equal opportunity to vote and have their votes counted. The project provides comprehensive information and assistance at all stages of voting and offers a multilingual suite of voter hotlines and opportunities to get voting help from trained volunteers. For more information, visit: https://www.lawyerscommittee.org/project/election-protection/
Spread the Vote: Spread the Vote obtains voter identification for eligible voters in states with strict voter ID laws, creates election guides and educational tools, assists incarcerated voters with mail-in voting, and helps voters make and carry out voting plans. For more information, visit: https://www.spreadthevote.org/
REV UP: The REV UP Campaign, launched by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), is a nonpartisan initiative that coordinates with national, state, and local organizations to increase the political power of the disability community while also engaging candidates and the media on disability issues. REV UP stands for Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power! REV UP produces an election accessibility toolkit that can be accessed here. For more information, visit: https://www.aapd.com/advocacy/voting/join-rev-up/
VoteRiders: VoteRiders educates voters about voter ID laws and helps citizens secure the IDs they need. The organization maintains a state-by-state map of voter ID requirements and details about each state’s policy. VoteRiders operates a helpline to answer voters’ questions and provides practical, legal, and financial assistance for voters who need to obtain their documents. For more information, visit:
https://www.voteriders.org/
Civic Holidays: Civic Holidays are nonpartisan days of action to strengthen and encourage participation in American democracy. They bring together a nationwide network of organizations and offer occasions to celebrate political engagement.
National Voter Registration Day (September 20) is the country’s largest single-day voter registration drive.
National Voter Education Week (October 3-7) provides voters with the tools, information, and confidence they need to cast their ballots by helping them find their polling locations, understand their ballots, and develop their voting plans.
Vote Early Day (October 28) makes it easier for voters to cast their ballots prior to Election Day by raising awareness about early voting options and celebrating the act of voting early.
Election Hero Day (November 7) honors the contributions of poll workers, election administration teams, and all those who help elections run smoothly across the nation.
For more information or to sign up as a partner organization, visit: https://civicholidays.org/
Fair Elections Legal Network (FELN): The Fair Elections Legal Network (FELN) is a national, nonpartisan voting rights, legal support, and election reform organization whose mission is to remove barriers to registration and voting for traditionally underrepresented constituencies. FELN works to improve overall election administration and to provide legal and technical assistance to voter mobilization organizations. For more information, visit:
http://fairelectionsnetwork.com
Nonprofit VOTE: Nonprofit VOTE partners with America’s nonprofits to help the people they serve participate and vote. It is the largest source of nonpartisan resources to help nonprofits integrate voter engagement into their ongoing activities and services. For more information, visit: http://nonprofitvote.org
You Don’t Need a Home to Vote, a campaign of the National Coalition for the Homeless: The You Don’t Need a Home to Vote campaign seeks to promote voting access by specifically engaging people experiencing homelessness in the democratic process. For more information, visit: http://nationalhomeless.org/campaigns/voting