Possible Early Voting Site to be set on Arkansas Campus

Washington County Election Commission members on Tuesday agreed to explore the possibility of establishing an early voting site on the University of Arkansas campus. Learn more.

IL Bill for Ranked Voting Sent to Governor

On June 26, the Illinois legislature sent SB 439 to Governor Blagojevich. If signed, the bill would permit the use of special "ranked voting" ballots in municipal elections, to be offered to absentee military/overseas voters. Read more.

Georgia Voter ID Challenged Again

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Democrats have filed another suit challenging Georgia's voter ID law. See the Election Law @Moritz case page for more information and case documents.

MobileActive.org Releases 'How to Use Mobile for Polling and Engagement'

Check out MobileActive.org's new resource, "Mobile Phones for Polling and Engagement." In this guide, you will find a list of benefits, a ten-step plan, a checklist, and case study on the use of mobile phones for polling in Kenya's December 2007 election.

July 17th: NVEN Webinar: Sponsoring a Nonpartisan Candidate Forum

Sign up for NVEN's next webinar, "Sponsoring a Nonpartisan Candidate Forum," taking place Thursday, July 17th from 2:00-3:00pm, EST.

• Learn how to get candidates to participate
• Learn the do's and don'ts
• Learn how to collaborate with others

When: Thursday, July 17th 2:00-3:00pm Eastern Time

"See How They Run": New Children's Book About Elections Process

See How They Run makes learning about the election process enlightening, enriching, and never boring! A charming and funny book for every future voter.

AIGA's Election Design Top Ten

Read AIGA's (American Institute of Graphic Artists) "Election Design Top Ten" a set of good principles for creating get-out-the-vote posters. The Top Ten list was collected from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) report on ballot and polling place design guidelines, crafted by AIGA in July 2007 and distributed to 6,000 election officials across the country in January 2008.

Disability Nonprofit Celebrates, Gets Out the Vote

An enthusiastic crowd of over 150 people attended the annual meeting of the Progress Center for Independent Living one recent Saturday afternoon at the Mohr Community Center. Celebrating the Forest Park-based, non-profit organization's 20th anniversary, the annual party served as an opportunity to share information, promote advocacy, and empower people with disabilities.

Consumers of the Progress Center, who seek services through the organization, visited several booths offering information on voter registration and rights, paratransit information, and the West Suburban Access News Association, which provides information about programs and services for persons with disabilities.

Community organizer Sam Knight reminded consumers about the "I'd Vote" initiative, encouraging people with disabilities to register and vote in this year's election. "The best way to advocate the rights of people with disabilities is through elected officials," Knight said. "And the only way legislation can be changed is if we are registered voters."

Read more.

Visit the Coalition of Citizens With Disabilities website.

Resouce: Brookings Institution's Candidate Issues Index

This series of charts, compiled by Brookings Institution experts, outlines the candidates' positions on the most critical topics facing America's next President. The indices will be published throughout the 2008 Presidential election cycle. Published so far are indices on Children, Climate Change, Health Care, Immigration, Iraq and Trade. View the indices.

Nonprofit Input Sought on the Future of Communicating with Congress

The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), a nonprofit, non-partisan organization working to improve communications between citizens and members of Congress, has released two new reports. One report, Communicating with Congress: How the Internet Has Changed Citizen Engagement, describes how the Internet has revitalized citizen communication with Congress.
A second report in draft form, entitled Communicating with Congress: Recommendations for Improving the Democratic Dialogue, seeks public comment on a new model for constituent communications and makes specific recommendations for congressional offices, citizens, and advocacy groups. Read the draft, and then take the survey to voice your comments on the topic.

Univision and ‘Ya es Hora’ National Partners Join Mayors from Top Hispanic Cities

Univision Communications Inc., the nation's leading Spanish-language media company, and the “Ya es Hora” (It's Time) national partners, announced the expansion of its civic engagement campaign through new partnerships with mayors in the top Hispanic cities to register and mobilize voters. Mayors partnering in this effort include New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Houston Mayor Bill White. Learn more.

Craigslist BootCamp

Join Craigslist Foundation for a day of knowledge, resources and networking, all focused on how to start and run a vibrant nonprofit. Nonprofit Boot Camp is designed to educate and empower the next generation of nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs, connecting them with valuable industry resources, peers and potential supporters. The 2008 New York Tri-State Area Nonprofit Boot Camp will be held Saturday, August 16 at New York University. For more information about the event and how to register, click here.

Video the Vote

Video the Vote's goal is to be the eyes and ears where ballots are cast and counted. Ordinary citizens, armed with video cameras, become journalists and reporters as they document irregularities at polling places and boards of elections on Election Day. The effort enables the media and public to watch-dog the electoral process across the country. Sign up to volunteer to Video the Vote today! View a list of resources for volunteers, including videography tips, election-day guidelines, and uploading instructions.

MO Session Ends Without Passing Voter ID Reform

Missouri has ended its legislative session without taking action on a bill that would have required voters to provide proof of citizenship to cast a ballot.

Rock the Vote: 109% Increase in Youth Turnout in 2008

Over 6 million voters under age 30 have already voted in 2008, an amazing 109% increase from 2004 and 2000. Read Rock the Vote's Report.

10/28/2008: Alliance for Children and Families National Conference

October 28-30, 2008
Alliance National Conference
Expand your peer connections with the best national network of nonprofit human services leaders at the annual premiere event of the Alliance for Children and Families. This year’s event will be held at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center in Baltimore, MD. From best practices to promising program and organizational innovations to fine tuning your leadership and advocacy skills, this is a conference you, your senior management team, and your board won’t want to miss.

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http://www.alliance1.org/images/HomeNormal/Alliance-Home_01.jpg

Link
http://www.alliance1.org/Conferences/National2008/index.htm

NonprofitVOTE Store to Launch July 1st!

Nonprofit VOTE’s new store will be launching at nonprofitvote.org/store on July 1st, 2008! The new NonprofitVOTE store will feature November 4th logo T-Shirts, Hats, Stickers, Buttons, Bumper stickers and Tote bags.
Soon after, the NonprofitVOTE store will feature a special “Design-Your-Own” section, where you can pick and choose from a variety of VOTE graphics and logos and T-Shirt colors to create an individualized shirt, tote or hat.

New Spanish Language Guides on NonprofitVOTE.org!

NVEN has released Spanish language versions of its toolkits, A Nonprofit's Guide to Voter Registration and A Nonprofit's Guide to Hosting a Candidate Forum. The toolkits can be downloaded in full on NonprofitVOTE.org.

Florida Immigrant Coalition Launches Voter Engagement Program

The Florida Immigrant Coalition is conducting its first voter-mobilization project and hopes to sign up 4,300 new Haitian, Latino, and community-college students between June and November. The Voter Engagement Project is currently hiring Coordinators to register new voters, get 6,000 people to the polls for the November 2008 elections, and develop existing organizations and their leaders in Palm Beach, St. Lucie and Highland counties. Contact christine@floridaimmigrant.org to learn more.

EAC Releases Asian Language Election Glossaries

The EAC recently released election terms glossaries in 5 Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog and Vietnamese), as part of the Commission's Language Accessibility Program. The Program comprises working groups of local election officials, advocacy groups, and research and public policy organizations, who advise the EAC on how to best meet language accessibility requirements.
Read more.

Link
http://www.eac.gov/voter/language-accessibility-program-1

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/US-ElectionAssistanceCommission-Seal.svg/180px-US-ElectionAssistanceCommission-Seal.svg.png

National Campus Voter Registration Project Launches Your Vote, Your Voice

The National Campus Voter Registration Project has launched a nonpartisan, nationwide campaign to register college students, educate students about the issues and candidates, and motivate students to go to the polls on Election Day. The National Campus Voter Registration Project, is a joint effort of 50 national higher education associations that provides resources to the nation's 3,700 colleges and universities to aid campus efforts for the 2008 election.

The Your Vote, Your Voice web site includes state-by-state details on voter registration, voter education and participation activities. The campaign is targeted to campus organizers.

"In the last two presidential elections, students saw the difference that each individual vote can make," said NAICU President David L. Warren. "Civic awareness and voter engagement is on the rise on campuses across the country. If the momentum continues through the party conventions and into the fall, the student vote will not only hit a record high but it could determine our next president."

Throughout the primaries, polls have shown record levels of engagement among the nation's youth, especially with college students, who have taken on active roles in the 2008 primary season. Research by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Education (CIRCLE) found that 79 percent of the youth voting, ages 18- 29, in the 2008 Super Tuesday primaries on February 5 had attended college.

The project is co-chaired by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), and Council of Independent Colleges (CIC).

Read more.
Link
http://www.naicu.edu/news_room/national-initiative-aims-to-set-record-voter-turnout-at-colleges-and-universities

Bethel, Alaska Sued to Translate Ballots

"The state of Alaska was in federal court in Anchorage last week, battling demands that it provide ballots and other election materials in Yup'ik as well as English to residents of the Bethel area. Lawyers for four Yup'ik elders and four tribal councils in Western Alaska say the need for precise written translations is clear. They are suing the state and the city of Bethel. "

(needs rephrasing)
link
http://www.adn.com/western_alaska/story/434008.html

NASS Releases Overseas Voting Procedures Survey

The National Association of Secretaries of State has released a survey of state-by-state voting procedures for military and overseas voters. NASS has also partnered with the Overseas Vote Foundation to provide a clickable map for finding state-specific information and guidelines on voting as a citizen overseas. Go to the Overseas Vote Foundation to learn more about voting abroad.

Minnesota Nonprofits Could Be Required to Register Voters

Nonprofits who are wary of election-related activities for fear of losing their 501(c)(3) status need not fear voter registration work - especially in Minnesota, where some nonprofit organizations are actually required to conduct voter registration for their employees and constituents.

At the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits' June 3rd Voter Mobilization kickoff event, coordinator Josh Winters cited statute 201.162 to Minnpost.com:

"... [A] nonprofit corporation that contracts with the state agency to carry out obligations of the state agency shall provide voter registration services for employees and the public. A person may complete a voter registration application or apply to change a voter registration name or address if the person has the proper qualifications on the date of application. Nonpartisan voter registration assistance, including routinely asking members of the public served by the agency whether they would like to register to vote and, if necessary, assisting them in preparing the registration forms must be part of the job of appropriate agency employees."

(And Minnesota isn't alone. Many other states have similar regulations for agencies that contract with the state, including............)

Other states encourage 501(c)(3)s to engage in voter registration services on a nonpartisan basis. Contact your Secretary of State for more information. To learn more about conducting nonpartisan election-related activities such as voter registration, sample ballot distribution and candidate forums, read NVEN's Toolkits or visit the 501(c)(3) Guidelines page on NonprofitVOTE.org.

Virginia Organizing Project Kicks Off

"A Charlottesville nonprofit group's representatives might soon come knocking as part of a statewide attempt to increase voter registration and awareness of issues like health care reform.

About 50 Virginia Organizing Project interns began a 10-week door-to-door campaign throughout the state last week. Around seven are canvassing an area from Williamsburg to Virginia Beach, said the group's executive director, Joe Szakos.

The interns — who are mostly college students — are distributing voters guides and engaging residents on issues important in their communities. In some areas with low numbers of voters, the students are conducting focused drives to increase registration rolls. Part of the effort includes helping nonviolent felons regain their voting rights, Szakos said

The Virginia Organizing Project representatives will ask questions regarding the most important issues to the community, how the need for health care reform is rated and whether respondents would be willing to participate in educational forums, Szakos said.

The interns are also collecting old cell phones and printer cartridges for recycling as part of a fundraising effort, Szakos said."


Read more.
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-local_vote_0601jun01,0,2328325.story

Event: Alliance for Nonprofits Conference

The Alliance for Nonprofits' 2008 Annual Conference will be held in Dearborn, Michigan on July 9-11, 2008. Over 45 workshops will be offered through various session tracks: Executive Leadership for Nonprofit Managers, Senior Practioners, Public Policy, Ethics and Hot Topics.

The Alliance Exhibit Showcase will feature new products to enhance businesses and skills. Attendees will have access to plenty of networking opportunities in the exhibit showcase area as they enjoy refreshment breaks and evening receptions. Exhibitor and Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Register today!

Link
http://www.allianceonline.org/annual_conference/c08.page

Homeless Coalition Teams Up With LWV to Register Voters

The Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County, Florida (about us) is partnering with the League of Women Voters for the first time in their effort to make sure that homeless people enjoy their right to vote- even without a residential address.

Volunteers will begin visiting soup kitchens this week during lunch hours to register voters.

"That population doesn't trust the government very much," said Corinne Miller, LWV voter registration leader. "If they're coming for a meal at a recognized site, they know the personnel and they know we're working with them, so they'll have more trust in us."

Homeless people will be instructed to list the Supervisor of Elections Office' West Palm Beach address as their own, or a post office box. Voting by both absentee ballot and at local polling places will be encouraged.

'We're trying to restore (homeless people's) dignity to be respected as people that should be able to exercise their civil rights," said Rita Clark, ED of the Homeless Coalition. "And one of those rights is to be able to vote."

According to a 2007 census there are roughly 1,800 homeless people living in Palm Beach County.

"Some of the homeless people are probably not aware that they can vote," said Miller, "but they are affected most by the government."

(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

HeadCount Registers Voters at Bonnaroo

HeadCount- a nonpartisan voter registration organization founded by bassist Marc Brownstein of the Disco Biscuits- was at last week's Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tennessee as part of its mission to register 100,000 summer concert-goers for the November 4th election.

HeadCount is going to all the major summer concert series and festivals this year, as well as hopping on tour with the Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters, in an effort to revive the political involvement levels of music lovers around the country.

In recent years, says Brownstein, festival audiences have considered themselves outside of the political process. However, as of late HeadCount has been seeing an increased political receptiveness in music fans, reminiscent of the '60s Woodstock activist audiences. "I think it's changing and it's changing rapidly because we're able to use the platform of music to get people thinking about things outside of music." said co-founder Andy Bernstein. "If there's a core purpose to Headcount, it's to take people who are outside of the process and bring them into the process." (AP Press)

List of HeadCount's upcoming concert events.

Denver Band Registers Voters at Concerts

Denver's six-member collective Flobots is a politically charged band for an election year. The hip-hop/funk rock troupe's debut single, Handlebars, is a top 5 hit on USA TODAY's alternative airplay chart and building at top 40 radio. Denver's six-member collective Flobots is a politically charged band for an election year. The hip-hop/funk rock troupe's debut single, Handlebars, is a top 5 hit on USA TODAY's alternative airplay chart and building at top 40 radio.
Link
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-06-22-flobots_N.htm

Atlanta Democrats File Lawsuit Against Georgia's voter ID Law

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Democrats have filed another suit challenging Georgia's voter ID law. See the EL@M case page for more information and case documents. [Read More]

Atlanta Democrats File Lawsuit Against Georgia's voter ID Law

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Democrats have filed another suit challenging Georgia's voter ID law. See the EL@M case page for more information and case documents. [Read More]

Rhode Island Legislature Passes National Popular Vote

On June 19th, the Rhode Island House joined the Senate in passing the National Popular Vote Plan bill S 2112. The vote was 36-34. The bill now goes to Governor Donald Carcieri for signature. Read more.

AP Survey: 1 in 65 Americans Registered in 2008

A new AP survey shows voter registration rates soaring historically during this year's election, with nearly one in 65 Americans registering to vote in just the first 3 months of 2008.

Demos Report: One-Stop Voting in North Carolina

Read Demos' new report on Same Day Registration's successful journey through the North Carolina legislature, from gaining the support of election officials to fighting concerns on voter fraud.

Va. Governor Kaine to Expedite Re-enfranchisement of Nonviolent Offenders

Civic and social organizations are teaming with Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to try to add thousands of nonviolent offenders to the voting rolls in time for the November election. The felons also would get their rights back to sit on a jury and hold public office. Virginia currently is one of only 2 states to permanently disenfranchise those with a criminal conviction. Groups like the NAACP, the ACLU, Democracy South and the Virginia Voter Restoration Project have taken out newspaper ads, spread the word through churches and gone door to door, urging felons to apply to Kaine to restore their voting rights. The effort has earned criticism from the right. "I don' t know a lot of young Republicans who end up being felons," said Del. C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah). "Clearly the groups that are soliciting these felons to get their rights restored are predisposed to be in support of Obama, and I am sure this registration effort is designed to help their candidate." Read more.
Link
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/16/AR2008061602535_2.html
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http://www.acluva.org/restoreourvote/images/RestoreOurVoteicon.jpg

RI Gov. Carcieri Calls for Photo ID at the Polls

On June 18th, Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri (R) appealed to that would require voters to produce photo identification at the polls.

Link
http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2008/06/18/carcieri_proposes_photo_id_requirement_for_voters/

Rhode Island Legislature Passes National Popular Vote

On June 19, the Rhode Island House joined the Senate in passing the National Popular Vote Plan bill S 2112, . The vote was 36-34. The bill has been sent to Governor Donald Carcieri for approval. Next up: Massachusetts, New York and North Carolina. Read more.

Link-
http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2008/06/21/ri_lawmakers_approve_plan_on_national_popular_vote/


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http://www.democrats.org/page/image/9b06fee215be35ee89_8gumv2l45.gif/@mx_150@my_150

LWV-Indiana File Lawsuit Against Voter ID Law

On June 20, the Indiana League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit (League of Women Voters of Indiana vs. Secretary of State Todd Rokita) in state court, alleging that the Indiana law requiring voters at the polls to show government photo-ID violates the Indiana Constitution. Read the complaint.
Link
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/blogdocs/photo%20ID%20complaint.pdf

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http://www.courttv.com/graphics2/photos/trials/supreme-court/full-coverage/include/supreme-court-include.jpg

Ohio 2008 Primary Report

Read OH Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's report on Ohio's 2008 Primary Election, which outlinesvoter turnout and election procedure improvements since 2004 and identifies the remaining problem areas to resolve for future elections. Recommendations include: clarifying voter ID requirements; improving voter registry accuracy; training poll workers more thoroughly, and more.

link
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/Upload/images/features/08PriReport.gif

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http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/Upload/images/features/08PriReport.gif

Ex-Offenders in Florida Regain the Vote

Since April over 115,000, or 20% of ex-offenders in Florida have

regained their right to vote, thanks to new state legislation establishing a three-tiered severity level for Florida citizens convicted of a crime. Until April, Florida was one of only 3 states to strip all convicted felons of their right to vote; those who finish prison and probation previously had to endure a lengthy review by state officials in order to vote, serve on a jury, or hold a state-licensed job.

"Once somebody has truly paid their debt to society, we should recognize it, and we should honor it and we should welcome them back into society and give them that second chance," said Florida Governor Charlie Crist. (The New York Times)

Congressional Research Service Report on Voter ID

A new report from the Congressional Research Service analyzes Supreme Court's decision to uphold Indiana's voter ID requirement: download The Constitutionality of Requiring Photo Identification for Voting: An Analysis of Crawford v. Marion County Election Board .
http://opencrs.cdt.org/document/RS22882

Brookings Institution Book: Democracy in the States

Democracy in the States, new from the Brookings Institution Press, is a collection of studies on the progress and agenda of election reform in the 21st century. Studies contributed by leading scholars Paul Gronke, Michael McDonald and Todd Donovan and more.
Read a sample chapter.
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/Press/Books/2008/democracyinthestates/democracyinthestates_chapter.pdf

Learn more.
http://www.brookings.edu/press/Books/2008/democracyinthestates.aspx

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Welcome

Welcome to the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network's blog of nonprofit, voter turnout and election news!

The Change Agent Releases "Democracy in Action"

Thinking about how to integrate all the election-year buzz into your classroom? Download Democracy in Action, the current issue of adult education newspaper The Change Agent.

7/18/2008: Mobilize.org Grant Summit

Mobilize.org announces the application launch for its Democracy 2.0 Entrepreneur Grant Summit, Money in Politics, to be held July 18-21, 2008, in Denver, Colorado. Read more.