As the November 3 midterm elections approach next week, knowing your voting rights and how to respond at the polls is essential to protecting access to the ballot. For students voting on campus or in their local communities, possibly for the first time, it can be particularly confusing when state laws differ or voting procedures […]
Election Day is Not the Only Day to Vote
October 24th is Vote Early Day, meant to encourage all eligible United States citizens to vote early and inform voters of their states’ early voting laws. Early voting offers many voters the convenience and flexibility that match the demands of modern life. It can be especially helpful for people with demanding work schedules, long commutes, […]
The Z Factor: Young Voters and the 2026 Midterms
Generation Z voters (aged 18-29) are predicted to make a significant impact on the upcoming 2026 Midterm elections. This has not always been the case, as student and youth voter turnout has historically remained low. Only 47% of Americans aged 18-29 voted in the 2024 election. This year, 50 million Gen Z Americans are eligible […]
Mail-In Ballots are Safe, For Now
As early voting gets underway in many states, voters can continue to rely on existing mail-in voting procedures for the 2026 midterm elections. On September 14, the US Supreme Court declined to allow the Trump administration to implement new restrictions that would have given the USPS a greater role in determining which voters could receive […]
New Poll Finds Voters Concerned about Rights and Democracy Ahead of 2026 Midterms
A new national poll from The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights finds that voters are increasingly concerned about threats to their rights, democracy, and the 2026 elections. The 2026 Civil Rights Monitor found that 82% of voters are concerned that rights and freedoms are being taken away or rolled back, the highest level […]
2026 Midterm Elections: A Guide to Voting and Making an Informed Choice
With Election Day less than 40 days away, voters across the country are preparing to cast ballots in the 2026 midterm elections. On November 3, voters will decide congressional, state, and local races, and ballot measures in states across the country. With so many races and issues on the same ballot, it is crucial that […]
Virginia Voters Will Decide the Future of Reproductive Freedom, Marriage Equality, and Voting Rights This November
On November 3rd, Virginia voters will decide on three proposed amendments to the state constitution concerning reproductive freedom, marriage, and voting rights. The amendments would add a constitutional right to reproductive freedom, remove Virginia’s constitutional prohibition on same-sex marriage and require equal treatment of marriages, and automatically restore voting rights to people convicted of felonies […]
North Carolina State Legislature Advances New Restrictions on Voting
The North Carolina State Legislature is advancing a sweeping overhaul of the state’s election laws that would change how early voting, ballot challenges, voter registration, and election audits are conducted. H.B. 958 passed the NC House 66-47 on June 30 and the Senate 28-13 on July 28, with Republicans voting unanimously in favor of the […]
FBI Raids Ohio Voting Rights Group Raising Alarms Over Voter Intimidation
On the morning of June 11, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the Cleveland offices of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC), a grassroots pro-democracy organization focused on registration, civic engagement, and community organizing for marginalized communities. According to reports, agents seized documents and computer files and questioned staff members for several hours. Investigators […]
New Hampshire’s Latest Voting Restrictions Could Impact Student Participation
On April 3rd, Gov. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire signed H.B. 323, which will take effect this June and require voters to present government-issued photo identification to vote in the upcoming state primaries and general election. This law effectively eliminates students’ ability to use their high school or college IDs to vote. Republican legislators in […]
Virginians Vote Yes for Redistricting to Reshape House Control
On April 21, Virginians voted yes on a ballot measure to allow the state to temporarily redraw congressional maps before the midterms. Virginia held a special election with only one question on the ballot: whether Virginia should be allowed to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections. The measure passed […]
New Restrictions on the Youth Vote Hit Campuses
Recent federal actions have introduced new barriers for colleges and universities working to support student voter participation. In 2023, attorney Cleta Mitchell raised unfounded concerns about polling locations close to dormitories on campuses, citing fears of students voting without being properly informed. These sentiments have only grown since the current administration launched a probe into […]
The SAVE Act: New Barriers for Women to the Ballot Box
The Senate is preparing to vote on S.128, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the “SAVE Act.” Supporters argue the bill is necessary to protect election integrity. In practice, however, it would make it significantly harder for millions of eligible Americans to register and cast a ballot, particularly women and marginalized communities. […]
The SAVE Act: A Voter Suppression Tactic Disguised as Election Integrity
Photo from Unsplash Under the guise of “election integrity,” new legislation threatens to create unnecessary barriers to voting. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX-21) introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, H.R. 22 in early January, with a vote expected in the coming weeks. This legislation is yet another attempt to suppress the votes of marginalized […]
What Just Happened? Insights from the Post-Election 2024 Panel Discussion
On November 12th, an all-woman panel convened at American University to unpack the results of the 2024 elections at the event titled “What Just Happened?: Voting is over — What Did We Learn from Election 2024?” Moderated by Betsy Fischer Martin, Executive Director of the AU School of Public Affairs Women & Politics Institute, the […]
Georgia Judge Blocks Trump’s Election Rules
Photo by Elliott Stallion Last week, Georgia blocked Trump-backed election rules that had been recently passed by the State Election Board. Of the seven rules implemented, three gained immense pushback, which included one that required ballots to be counted by hand after polls close and two that dealt with the certification of election results. Fulton County […]
Proposition 1: New York’s Next Step Toward Equality in a Post-Roe World
Photo by Gayatri Malhotra New York stands at a crossroads of history as election signs sprout like late-blooming flowers. This year’s ballot holds more than names; it carries the weight of generations of struggle, hope, and relentless pursuit of equality. New York Proposition 1 isn’t just another line item—it’s the latest chapter in a story that […]
The Gender Gap Among Gen Z is Rising. What Will it Mean for the 2024 Election?
Photo by Element5 Digital The divide between young men and women’s political preferences are growing at unprecedented rates. While this divergence, coined “the gender gap” by founder and President of the Feminist Majority Foundation Eleanor Smeal, is not new, older generations have not witnessed as striking a contrast between men and women voters. Young women see […]
Study Shows Record-Breaking Voter Turnout for Women in College
Photo by Element5 Digital For years, older generations have often viewed the youth vote as unimportant due to perceived low voter turnout and have stereotyped college students as politically unmotivated or even apathetic. While this may have been true in the past, a 2021 study conducted by Tufts University, entitled Democracy Counts 2020, has disproven this stereotype and shown how […]
The Ever-Widening “Gender Chasm” of the Upcoming 2024 Presidential Election
Photo by Oxana Melis The gender gap, coined by Feminist Majority Foundation founder and president, Eleanor Smeal, describes the percentage difference between women and men voting for a specific candidate and has existed since at least the 1980 presidential election. In that election, while a slim majority of women did vote for Ronald Reagan, they did […]