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Fair Elections Center is a national, nonpartisan voting rights and election reform 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington, D.C.
We are a non-partisan organization dedicated to safeguarding the future of our democracy through innovative efforts focused on voting rights and civic engagement.
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.
Our mission is to use litigation and advocacy to remove barriers to registration and voting, particularly those disenfranchising underrepresented and marginalized communities, and to improve election administration.
🚨 OHIO! 🚨
Your elected officials are trying to make it harder for you to vote by mail in the next election. Will you join our fight to stop them?
SB 293 would further restrict the ability of Ohioans to vote by mail, eliminating the four-day grace period after Election Day for mail-in ballots to be delivered to the county board of elections.
This bill has already passed through the Ohio Senate and has been introduced into the House of Representatives. At Fair Elections Center, we think your elected officials should be focused on making it easier to cast a ballot, not harder. If you agree, call your representative and tell them you oppose SB 293.
Learn more about the bill at the link in our bio (bit.ly/fecohiosb293)
📣 Deadline extension!
Do you someone creative who loves voting rights? There`s still time for them to enter this year`s Campus Vote Project t-shirt design contest! This year`s theme is "When We All Rise, Democracy Thrives" 👊📣🗳️
The overall winner`s design will be featured on our spring semester t-shirt sent to more than 400 Democracy Fellows, Student Advisory Board representatives, and Campus Vote Project staff members. Oh, and did we mention that winners can receive up to $500 and will be featured in our merch store?
All entries must be submitted by November 18, so don`t miss out on this amazing opportunity to make a statement and inspire others.
Learn more and submit your design at the link in our bio (bit.ly/cvpdesigncontest)👕
Another Election Day in the books! Millions of Americans cast their ballots in state and local elections across the country, and we were there for it all. Thanks to all our state partners, Democracy Fellows, Student Advisory Board members, and our incredible Fair Elections Center staff for making Election Day 2025 a success!
At Fair Elections Center, we believe that voting should be celebrated. But in Ohio, the state legislature has used Election Day as an excuse to try and stop eligible citizens from casting their ballots. But we won`t be fooled.
Tomorrow, two anti-voter bills will be heard in committee by the Ohio legislature. These bills, if passed, would create enormous barriers for tens of thousands of otherwise eligible Ohio citizens. If you agree that politicians should use their power to expand the right to vote, not restrict it, call your state senator and tell them to put a stop to SB153 and SB293.
Find your elected official here: legislature.ohio.gov/members/district-maps (linked in bio)
Today is ELECTION DAY! Millions of Americans will cast their ballots in state and local elections, but what happens after that? After voting for the first time in 2024, Fair Elections Center Communications Intern Yasmine Ganemtore wondered where her ballot went after it left her hand, and decided to investigate. In this inaugural post on our brand new Substack, she`s sharing what she found out.
Read the post, the first in a series we`re calling "Mechanics of Democracy," where we go under the hood to answer your questions about what keeps our democracy in gear, and don`t forget to subscribe (it`s free!) at the link in our bio (bit.ly/fec_afteryouvoteblog)
Do you have an election today? Check out our stories to make sure you`re registered, find your polling place, see what`s on your ballot, and more!
Let`s make sure this stays a scary story 😅
Election Day is right around the corner! With countless statewide or local elections happening across the country, you have the chance to shape the future of your community. Don`t stay silent! Make sure you know what`s on your ballot and make a plan to vote.
Get started by checking your registration status at the link in our bio (bit.ly/fecvoterstatus) 📣
Join Fair Elections Center`s Policy Director Michelle Kanter Cohen on Substack Live with Civics Center Founder & CEO Laura Brill today at 6 PM EST / 3 PM PT! They`ll talk about the shortfalls of our voter registration system that often leaves out young people and other already-marginalized communities, and what we can do to make sure every eligible voter is registered and able to cast a ballot.
Don`t miss out! Click the link in our bio to add this event to your calendar (open.substack.com/live-stream/73138)
Fair Elections Center President Rebekah Caruthers joined the Power Station podcast this week to discuss the importance of making a plan to vote — just in time for #VoteEarlyDay 2025!
"You have to make a plan to vote. If your state allows early in-person voting, I want you to strongly consider exercising that right, and to do early in-person voting. If your state does allow vote by mail, then please, in the first couple of days when you get that ballot, please send it in and then track it to make sure that it was received and counted. And you could do that with your local elections authority, with your county elections clerk, just to verify that they`ve received your ballot. But if all possible, do not wait until Election Day, afternoon or early evening to go vote. Please vote as soon as you possibly can in your state."
Listen to the entire episode of Power Station at the link in our bio (apple.co/3Layxfh)
In July, anti-voter group America First Legal Foundation (AFL) asked the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to amend the federal voter registration form to require Americans to show a passport or other citizenship documents when registering to vote.
These show-your-papers requirements create unnecessary barriers that are particularly hard on students, among other communities. That`s why Fair Elections Center submitted a comment to oppose adding barriers to voter registration, telling the EAC that they should not—and cannot—make these changes that would violate federal laws and plainly contradict prior decisions made by the commission.
Read our full comment and learn more at the link in our bio (fairelectionscenter.org/advocacy/eac-comment-in-opposition-to-dpoc-requirement/)
Did you or someone you know become a naturalized U.S. citizen in Pennsylvania on or after October 5, 2025?
Congrats! You now have all the same constitutional rights as every other American across the country, including the fundamental right to vote.
Normally, you`d be able to register to vote right away. But Pennsylvania is the only state in the U.S. that requires people to be naturalized as citizens at least one month before voting in an election. Because it is less than 30 days before the election on November 4, 2025, you are unable to vote in this upcoming election.
We believe that this law is in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
But you can help us change all of that today by standing up for what`s right and serving as plaintiffs in a case in federal court. Participation is FREE, and we will work to ensure plaintiffs can participate without using their names.
We need to move FAST because the election is coming up on November 4. If you`re interested in participating or have questions, please contact Fair Elections Center counsel Nina Beck at nbeck@fairelectionscenter.org.
Creativity 🤝 Voting Rights
Does that remind you of someone you know? Tell them to enter this year`s Campus Vote Project t-shirt design contest! This year`s theme is "When We All Rise, Democracy Thrives" 👊📣🗳️
The overall winner`s design will be featured on our spring semester t-shirt sent to more than 400 Democracy Fellows, Student Advisory Board representatives, and Campus Vote Project staff members. Oh, and did we mention that all the winning designs will receive a cash prize and will be featured in our merch store?
All entries must be submitted by November 12, so don`t miss out on this amazing opportunity to make a statement and inspire others.
Learn more and submit your design at the link in our bio (bit.ly/cvpdesigncontest)👕
Campus Vote Project is collaborating with NASPA for this year`s Civic Learning and Social Change Conference 📓🗳️💪
Join us in Long Beach California this December for two jam-packed days full of community, curiosity, advocacy, pedagogy, and strategic thinking.
Sounds like fun, right?! Don`t wait - Early Bird Registration ends TODAY! Learn more about the conference and register now at the link in our bio (bit.ly/cvpclsc)
Voter registration is the first step to casting your ballot. Although automatic and online voter registration programs have added many eligible voters to the rolls, their reliance on DMV data and interactions for citizens to benefit from those opportunities means they exclude an increasing number of young people and people living in historically marginalized communities who don`t have a driver`s license. But registration is just the start — attempting to cast a ballot without a driver`s license presents yet another set of barriers.
As part of #NationalVoterEducationWeek, Fair Elections Center has published a new report illuminating recent findings that show a wide and alarming gap in voter registration and turnout rates between people who have a driver’s license and people who do not. Our latest report addresses structural barriers that contribute to this gap and recommends specific policies for state policymakers to expand access to ensure eligible voters without a driver’s license can participate in democracy.
Read more from the report at the link in our bio (bit.ly/Non-DriverVotingGapsReport)
For #NationalVoterEducationWeek, we`re shining a light on the hundreds of thousands of individuals awaiting trial or in jail for misdemeanors — most of whom retain their right to vote but still struggle to access the ballot.
Check out the link in our bio (bit.ly/fecjailvotingblog) for our latest blog post to learn more about the voting rights of those in jail, and how we might create a path forward to raise awareness and put the power of voting back in the hands of these eligible citizens.
Hey Allegheny County! 👋 Do you have plans on Election Day? Do you want to get paid to serve your community? Sign up to be a poll worker!
Don`t wait to sign up, it`s simple and only takes a few minutes! "I`ve already received my assignment 7 minutes from my house and been sent the required training. That honestly couldn`t have been easier!" — Lauren Schueler, Campus Vote Project Democracy Fellow Manager and future poll worker 🗳️
Sign up today at the link in our bio (powerthepolls.org/campus)
🚨 Virginia 🚨
The representatives that are elected to the House of Delegates this November will determine if a number of state constitutional amendments make it to your ballot next year, including one that would restore voting rights to all Virginians that are not incarcerated for a felony.
Fair Elections Center Policy Director Michelle Kanter Cohen spoke on a panel earlier this month to advocate for the amendment.
The upcoming election in Virginia could have a direct impact on your life and your community. Make sure you have all the information you need to vote on or before November 4!
Click the link in our bio to learn more and make your voting plan (bit.ly/fecvavote)
Does this sound like you?
✅️ Current law student
✅️ Demonstrated commitment to civil rights or voting rights
✅️ Strong legal research and analytical skills
If so, apply to join Fair Elections Center`s Voting Rights Project as a Summer 2026 Legal Intern!
Learn more and apply today at the link in our bio (fairelectionscenter.org/careers)
Registering to vote is the first step in making your voice heard at the ballot box. That`s why we celebrate #NationalVoterRegistrationDay every year 🗳️✅
Yesterday, staff and students with Fair Elections Center`s Campus Vote Project registered voters all across the country. How did you celebrate #NVRD?
Did you know that in 2017, 60 percent of polling places had at least one problem that made them inaccessible, and that if people with disabilities voted at the same rate as nondisabled voters, there would be about 2.0 million more voters? Voters with disabilities are a part of every community and live in every county across the United States. That`s why we`re joining American Association of People with Disabilities` REV UP campaign to celebrate Disability Voting Rights Week (DVRW)!
DVRW serves as one way to empower disabled voters to use their voice, and to support and build community with other voters with disabilities. As DVRW wraps up, we encourage nondisabled people to educate yourself on the barriers that disabled voters face, and find ways to make voting more accessible for your community.
Want to learn more about an often overlooked community of voters with disabilities? Read the latest blog from Fair Elections Center, written by Voting Rights Project Summer Legal Intern Elena Edwards, on the voting barriers competency laws create for Americans under guardianship or with mental disabilities at the link in our bio (bit.ly/fecvotercompetencyblog)
Today, Fair Elections Center released the following statement from Rebekah Caruthers, President & CEO, on the latest instance of political violence on a college campus.
“Yesterday, a life was lost in a space intended for civic engagement and conversation. It’s tragic and unacceptable. For those of us organizing young people on campuses by helping passionate students regardless of political affiliation turn their voices into positive action, this hits close. A fatal act of political violence on a college campus is terrifying—especially for young people who show up every day to engage, organize, and empower their peers. No one should fear for their life while trying to engage in democracy.”
bit.ly/fecutahviolence
