Voter Registration Policy

IMG_0588aIn 49 out of 50 states, participating in the American democratic process requires an important first step: registering to vote.

Throughout American history, however, voter registration has frequently been used as a bureaucratic hurdle placed between eligible Americans and the ballot box.

That’s why Project Vote works across the country to ensure simple, fair, equitable voter registration policies that make it easier, not harder, for eligible citizens to register to vote.

From fighting laws that place unfair restrictions on community-based voter registration drives, to advocating for innovations like Automatic Voter Registration, Online Registration, Same-Day Registration, and Permanent-Portable Registration, Project Vote wants to make sure that every eligible American can register to vote.

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Appeals Court Overturns March Ruling in Kobach v. EAC

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In a major victory for voting rights, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has unanimously ruled that Arizona and Kansas cannot force the Election Assistance Commission to alter the federal voter registration form to require documentary proof-of-citizenship. Read more

What Kind of Year Has It Been for Election Laws?

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With Americans heading to the polls in just four weeks, a new report from voting rights group Project Vote shows that many beneficial election reforms were proposed in 2014, but few voters will find it easier to cast a ballot on November 4. Read more

On National Voter Registration Day, a Look at How States Restrict Voter Registration

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As America celebrates National Voter Registration Day, voting rights group Project Vote has released a new report examining the restrictions many states have imposed on efforts to help eligible citizens become registered voters. Read more

Project Vote Releases New Policy Paper on Voter Registration Transparency

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Fair access to records is vital to ensuring that states are not using arbitrary or politically-motivated criteria for rejecting applicants or purging voters in secret.  Read more

In Election Legislation, Many Proposals but Few Solutions

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Today, Project Vote released a new report analyzing the legislative landscape in 2014, and assessing the ground gained and lost so far in the war over voting rights.  Read more

U.S. Court of Appeals Orders Stay in Proof of Citizenship Case

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Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued a stay in Kris W. Kobach et al v. United States, meaning that, while the Court considers the appeal, residents of Kansas and Arizona applying to register to vote using the federal registration form will not be required to provide proof of citizenship.  Read more

Judge OKs Restrictive Voter Registration Process, Undermines Federal Voting Law

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Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren issued a ruling in Kris W. Kobach et al. v. United States Election Assistance Commission, stating that the EAC must fulfill requests from those states to print state-specific registration forms reflecting state proof-of-citizenship requirements. Read more

A Sad Day for Voting Rights: Senate Rejects Nominee for Top Civil Rights Lawyer

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This afternoon, the Senate voted to block the nomination of Debo P. Adegbile to be Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. Project Vote Legislative Director Estelle Rogers issued the following statement in response. Read more

Project Vote Applauds Introduction of Bi-Partisan Bill to Restore the Protections of the Voting Rights Act

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Today, Congressmen James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and John Conyers (D-MI), and Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), introduced a bipartisan update to the Voting Rights Act. Read more

Project Vote Files to Intervene in Arizona and Kansas Effort to Change National Voter Registration Form

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Seeking to protect the rights of eligible voters in Arizona and Kansas, the voting rights organization Project Vote yesterday moved to intervene in the case of Kris W. Kobach et al. v. United States Election Assistance Commission. Read more