The problem with Facebook's plan to sign up 4 million voters

Alex Pasternack

July 03, 2020 |

FastCompany |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

In the past decade, Facebook's US voter engagement campaigns included registration and election-day reminders for its 61 million 18+ users and sharing friends’ voting behavior. One study attributes hundreds of thousands of more votes to these election campaigns, with friends’ voting behavior the strongest influencer. The California Secretary of State credits the 4th highest voter registration daily total to Facebook’s same day reminder. Criticisms include not releasing data for independent review and negative aspects of its influence like potential liberal biases and the 2016 Russian disinformation campaign.

Read More

Go to Original Story

Texas's High School Voter Registration Law Fails to Live Up to Ideals

James Russell

July 02, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Texas

A Texas law requiring high school principals to register eligible student voters has failed because it is unequally carried out, not enforceable or tracked, and other obstacles to vote prevent students from casting ballots. While the law was an impressive attempt to increase the civic participation of young people, many high schools have not participated. A 2019 report shows that only 38% of schools with at least 20 seniors requested voter registration forms. A confounding obstacle is a 2013 voter ID law that requires voters to show one of seven forms of photo identification, but student IDs are not eligible

Read More

Go to Original Story

Voting justice group Common Power turns to tech in time of COVID to reimagine outreach

Lisa Stiffler

July 01, 2020 |

GeekWire |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

Common Power has over 2,000 volunteers, mostly white retirees, who reach out to voters and lobby elected officials for things like widespread mail-in ballots. The small, racially diverse paid staff run many traditional voter engagement programs, such as phone banks and voter-registration drives. The organization also focuses on partnering with local organizations and provides extra capacity in the form of trained volunteers for campaigns in 20 states. All programming has become virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic and substantial time has been spent training volunteers on the new technologies.

Read More

Go to Original Story

Voter Turnout in New York City Was Cratering; Then Came 2018

Victoria Merlino

June 20, 2020 |

Gotham Gazette |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Record high voter turnout in New York's 2018 primaries was due in part to grassroots groups effectively harnessing voters’ anger towards the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), a group of State Senate Democrats who caucused with Republicans. A coalition of over 45 organizations held protests, ran phone banks, and sent out materials to encourage voters to turn out against the IDC, and it worked. Challengers beat incumbent IDC candidates in several primaries, eventually winning seats in Congress. Despite record-high turnout, it still only averaged 29% in districts where IDC candidates were challenged.

Read More

Go to Original Story

What voting by mail looks like when it works

Amber Phillips

June 12, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Vote-by-mail in Colorado makes voting easier. Citizens are automatically registered to vote by the DMV when they get a license. Voter data is updated monthly by the post office to increase voter roll accuracy. Voters get an email or text when their ballot is sent out and unique bar codes allow ballots to be tracked with a Postal Service app. Ballots can be returned by mail, with postage covered if needed, or at an official drop-off location and signatures on the back of the envelope are matched to DMV records. For transparency, voters can watch officials process ballots in person or on a live stream.

Read More

Go to Original Story

What Estonia could teach us about internet voting in a post-pandemic world

Chris O'Brien

June 11, 2020 |

VentureBeat |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Estonia

Estonia’s i-Voting system is currently used by 46.7% of voters and allows them to vote from home using a government-issued smart card. To vote, residents need a computer with a card reader or can have their encrypted ID linked to their cell phone SIM card. They can track their vote with a QR code and are able to change their choices any time during the 10-day voting period. Estonia is currently the only country to use this method, in part because eroding government trust has prevented the use of centralized systems that track personal information.

Read More

Go to Original Story

After April's election difficulties, would a vote-at-home system make more sense for Wisconsin?

Patricia McKnight

May 20, 2020 |

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

States that use universal voting by mail can be models for all states to protect voters amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Voting by mail can also increase voter turnout. After sending 2020 primary ballots to all registered voters, two Wisconsin districts had voter turnout about twice that of the statewide turnout. States also report that, after high startup costs, voting by mail is cheaper over the long term. Colorado successfully uses intelligent bar codes to track ballots and avoid fraud. Setting up the system before the November 2020 election would be difficult, as is reaching those without a permanent address.

Read More

Go to Original Story

PA should follow California's lead and mail ballots to every registered voter in the state

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

May 15, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Pennsylvania

Governor Gavin Newsome in California ordered vote-from-home ballots be sent to all registered voters for the November 2020 election due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While some states allow people to vote by mail for any reason, a ballot is usually obtained only by request, which evidence shows does not lead to the same increased voter turnout as automatically receiving a ballot. Absentee voters do tend to be white and upper-middle class, but some voter-rights organizations such as Committee of Seventy have shifted priorities to getting everyone who is eligible to request a vote-from-home ballot.

Read More

Go to Original Story

Can Vote by Mail Work in Low Income Minority Neighborhoods?

Eric Cortellessa

May 14, 2020 |

Washington Monthly |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Maryland and Ohio recently held elections almost entirely by mail and their different approaches provide insight into the impact on low-income voters, particularly those without permanent addresses. All registered voters in Maryland were sent mail-from-home ballots whereas Ohio voters had to request a ballot. Despite some reports of issues, turnout in Maryland increased 10 percentage points overall and 6 points in Baltimore City, indicating no widespread disenfranchisement in poorer counties. In Ohio, the extra step created a barrier for many voters and turnout decreased from 43.6% in 2016 to just 22.6%.

Read More

Go to Original Story

Stifled Progress

Hannah O. Brown Becca Burton

May 11, 2020 |

The Marjorie |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

Less than two years after Florida voters abolished the state’s lifetime ban on voting by anyone with a felony criminal record – a law that disenfranchised more than 10% of the state's voting-age people – an estimated 50,000 affected people had registered to vote and organizers were working to register the balance of the 1.4 million newly eligible voters. Amendment 4, the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative, won widespread voter approval and initially survived an attempt by legislators to undermine it thanks to a grassroots movement organized by formerly incarcerated people.

Read More