ProGov21 Policy Library

20 Ways Cities Can Promote Safe and Effective Elections in November

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Center for American Progress

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Health

This report outlines the role cities can play in protecting safe and fair elections. It details how cities can help facilitate voter registration and participation, mitigate voter confusion, and provide valuable support to local election officers in carrying out their duties....

Expanding Voter Registration in Cities and Counties: A Toolkit for Local Policymakers

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source The Center for Popular Democracy

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

Data shows that most Americans who are registered to vote cast a ballot on Election Day. Cities and counties can address the problem of declining voter engagement, exacerbated by barriers to voter registration, through increasing registration in their jurisdictions with city and county...

Democracy’s Future: Proposals to Expand Access to Registration and Voting for a New Generation

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Fair Elections Center

Policy Areas Community Development, Democracy & Governance

While turnout among young voters has increased, there is still a gap between the youngest eligible voters and their older counterparts. This report provides best practices, model legislation, and policy examples for advocates and policy makers aiming to increase voter engagement among...

Modern and Secure Elections

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level County

State(s) All States

Source SiX Action

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance

Now, more than ever, the strength of our democracy is not something we can take for granted. Our democracy works only as long as people participate and believe in our election systems. To that end, we need to ensure that our system of registration and voting is modern, secure, and...

Our Homes, Our Votes: A Guide to Nonpartisan Voter and Candidate Engagement for the Housing and Homelessness Field

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source National Low Income Housing Coalition

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Housing

The same communities that face the greatest barriers to securing stable, accessible, and affordable housing also face the greatest barriers to voting. This guide provides an overview of key considerations for planning a nonpartisan voter and candidate engagement campaign. It recommends...

Cities Vote: Municipal Action Guide - Race Equity and Voting in 2021 and Beyond

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, National

State(s) All States

Source National League of Cities

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance

Historical and structural barriers like voter ID laws, gerrymandering, and limited polling sites have disproportionately disenfranchised affects, Indigenous, Latinx/Hispanic, and communities of color. All levels of government should implement voting systems that ensures accessible...

Voter Engagement Democracy Brief

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Local Policy Lab

Policy Areas Civil Rights

City government elections influence issues such as education, infrastructure, and public safety, but rarely achieve the same voter turnout as national elections. This brief offers strategies local governments can use to improve voter turnout such as voter education campaigns, registration...

Housing Providers and Nonpartisan Voter Engagement

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level National, State

State(s) All States, District of Columbia

Source National Low Income Housing Coalition

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Housing

Low-income renters face many structural barriers to casting their ballots and having their votes counted. This report highlights the importance of housing providers supporting accessible voter registration and provides recommendations. Best practices include contacting residents directly...

2000 New York Ordinance 19-0450 Requiring Specified Agencies to Distribute Voter Registration Forms

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2000

Level City or Town

State(s) New York

Source City of New York

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

This ordinance specifies a system to assist in distributing voter registration materials, by requiring agencies to distribute voter registration forms....

Our Deepening Democracy: How Localities Can Expand Voting Rights

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level County

State(s) All States

Source The Center for Popular Democracy

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance

American democracy is at a crossroads. To deliver on the promise of a representative inclusive democracy our electoral system must provide every American the opportunity to meaningfully participate and make their voice heard in our democracy. That starts by guaranteeing that every...

Same Day Voter Registration Prohibition

Type Act or Session Law

Year 2022

Level State

State(s) Arizona

Source State of Arizona House of Representatives

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

Arizona's House Bill 2237 prohibits same-day voter registration in Arizona, barring any state agency or representative from registering voters on election day and allowing them to vote. The prohibition is aimed at maintaining election integrity, and violations are classified as a...

2013 Takoma Park Resolution 13-25 Affirming the Right to Vote

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2013

Level City or Town

State(s) Maryland

Source City of Takoma Park

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance

This resolution affirms the right to vote by establishing a task force on voting, supporting a federal constitutional amendment to grant an individual right to vote, and calling on elected officials to help increase voter turnout. Notably, it specifies that city resources will be...

Promotion of Voter Participation for Students

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level City or Town, County, National, Other Boards and Agencies, School Board, School District, State

State(s) All States

Source U.S. Department of Education

Policy Areas Children & Families, Community Development, Democracy & Governance, Education

Students play a crucial role in elections, thus educational institutions, and local governments should facilitate students' participation in the voting process. This guide recommends that postsecondary institutions help students get registered, establish a communications timeline...

Protecting the right to vote

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

Community members face barriers to voter registration, which prevent them from fully participating in the democratic process. Local elected officials can host voter registration drives, advertise election information, facilitate vote-at-home by mail, and encourage government employees...

National Council of Nonprofits Voter Engagement Guide

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year -

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source National Council of Nonprofits

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

Nonprofit organizations can play an important role in improving voter engagement and increasing turnout on election day. This resource identifies areas where nonprofits can provide assistance in the voting process and includes strategies for providing non-partisan support to local...

Election Integrity: A Pro Voter Agenda

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Brennan Center for Justice

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance

This report discusses election integrity and addresses concerns over election rigging, voter fraud, and election manipulation during the 2016 election. The report suggests investing in improvements to online registration, election-day fail-safe mechanisms to correct mistaken information,...

Enhancing Accesibility in U.S. Elections

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County, Other Boards and Agencies, State

State(s) All States

Source Center for American Progress

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

Disabled voters in America face many barriers to casting their votes on election day. This policy brief outlines how policymakers can improve voting accessibility and recommends ensuring voters have ample opportunities for absentee registration, conducting accessibility audits, offering...

2017 Somerset Charter Section 83-21 Extending the Right to Vote to Non-citizens

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2017

Level City or Town

State(s) Maryland

Source Town of Somerset

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

This charter amendment specifies who is considered a qualified voter in Somserset County, MD. It specifically states that any person who has resided within the limits of the town for 14 days preceding any election is a qualified voter....

2015 Minneapolis Ordinance 15-080 Requiring Landlords to Provide Voter Registration Forms to New Tenants

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2015

Level City or Town

State(s) Minnesota

Source City of Minneapolis

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

This ordinance requires landlords to provide new tenants with voter registration forms at the time the tenant begins their residency. This obliges landlords to make new residents to the area as well as new tenants who have previously not registered to vote aware of voter registration...

Expanding Voting Rights

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source The Center for Popular Democracy

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

This policy brief discusses the problem of lower voter turnout in municipal and county elections. The brief discusses possible causes for this issue such as low voter engagement, a lack of community grounding, and the absence of viable political options. The brief proposes solutions...

Why Local Elected Leaders Should Talk to Local Election Administrators

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

Local elected leaders must engage with local election administrators to ensure safe and equitable voting processes. This policy brief identifies local elected leaders as the bridge between election administrators and residents and recommends virtual town hall meetings, requesting...

Data Gaps in National Voter Registration and Voter Participation Reporting

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level National, State

State(s) All States

Source National League of Cities

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

Due to the decentralized election system in the U.S., there are limited sources of comprehensive data available on voter registration and voter turnout. This brief draws attention to the need for more comprehensive and standardized voter data and recommends using quantitative data...

Voter Engagement Democracy Brief

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Civil Rights

City government elections influence issues such as education, infrastructure, and public safety, but rarely achieve the same voter turnout as national elections. This brief offers strategies local governments can use to improve voter turnout such as voter education campaigns, registration...

Automatic Voter Registration

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level County

State(s) All States

Source State Innovation Exchange

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance

Our registration and voting system generally works well, but in the age of computers, modernizing our outdated, paper-based voter registration system is just common sense. A system of automatic voter registration (AVR) is a small but important change that would replace our current...

Expanding Voting Rights

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance

A wide array of policies to increase voter participation should be adopted by state governments, including automatic voter registration, same-day registration, expansion of early voting and no-fault absentee and vote by mail statutes, voter registration modernization, and restoration...

ProGov21 Policy Library

Remove Entry

There was an error communicating with the server.

There was an error while saving your data.

Error

Update Page Content

You are leaving the page