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We envision a civic ecosystem where all people can easily and freely participate in our democracy and where this participation is actively supported and valued by our local communities, institutions and government.
We are a non-partisan organization dedicated to safeguarding the future of our democracy through innovative efforts focused on voting rights and civic engagement.
Preregistration is a process that allows those who are not yet old enough to vote, but who are otherwise eligible, to complete a voter registration form and be automatically registered when they reach voting age.
Increase access among youth voters to voter information and registration opportunities by designating colleges and universities as state agencies under the National Voter Registration Act, as well as enacting state statutory requirements for postsecondary institutions to do things such as offering registration opportunities during certain school events, providing online resources for voters, and disseminating voter registration information to students.
To increase the availability of voter registration opportunities and information from trusted messengers about voting to a community of potential voters who are often less likely to participate in democracy.
Same day registration (“SDR”) allows eligible citizens to register to vote and cast their ballot on the same day in one stop and provides an opportunity for already-registered voters to correct or update any information on their registration record when they go to vote.
Reduce reliance on driver’s licenses in voter registration processes like online or automatic voter registration. States should implement online registration processes without relying on DMV signature data such as real-time signature capture, so people without a driver’s license can fully complete their registration online. Government should also be doing more to register eligible people to vote regardless of whether they interact with the DMV.
Fewer and fewer Americans, particularly young people, have their own vehicles, making them even less likely to have a driver’s license. By opening up the electronic registration process to people who do not have a driver’s license–as we do for paper registrations–we can protect citizens’ freedom to vote regardless of whether they drive or own a car.
Voter registration processes have functioned and continue to function adequately in the absence of documentary proof requirements. Documentary proof of citizenship (or documentary proof of residency) is an unnecessary barrier to voter registration that makes it harder to vote.
While voter list maintenance is important, some state officials attempt to purge voters from the rolls using bad data, non-uniform methods that unfairly target particular populations, or careless list maintenance practices. Fair Elections Center engages in oversight and policy advocacy to ensure state officials comply with state and federal law pertaining to list maintenance and to encourage practices that limit errors when conducting list maintenance.
Non-governmental community organizations should be able to engage the populations they work in and provide voter registration opportunities and election information directly to their communities. To protect their ability to do so, Fair Elections Center advocates against policies which criminalize voter registration assistance through excessive restrictions, or otherwise create barriers for organizations to engage in community civic engagement programs including voter registration.
Increasing access to pre-Election Day voting opportunities by ensuring no-excuse by-mail voting is available to all voters and that robust Election Day-style early in-person voting opportunities exist in accessible locations. On-campus early voting locations in particular can increase youth voter turnout.
Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act requires covered jurisdictions to provide in-language voting materials and information to certain covered language minority populations. Fair Elections Center advocates to ensure covered jurisdictions comply with federal requirements and urges state and local officials to offer in-language resources to communities beyond what is required by the Voting Rights Act.
Protect and preserve processes that exist to provide voters with disabilities and language needs with assistance during in-person and mail balloting, as well as expand the resources and procedures available to accommodate more voters who may not be able to navigate the registration and voting process on their own.
Establish state-level protections against racial discrimination in voting.
To help with poll worker shortages and ensure poll workers are equipped to deal with technological issues, young people, including those 16 and older, should be permitted to hold and recruited to fill poll worker positions.
To help with poll worker shortages and ensure sufficient poll workers, including those proficient in languages other than English, are available to serve voters, opportunities should be expanded for people to serve jurisdictions in their state other than where they live.
