Overseas Vote Foundation
Encyclopedia
Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit United States-based 501(c)(3) public charity that helps American citizens overseas and in the military participate in federal elections. These voters' rights fall under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act
(UOCAVA). OVF was founded in 2005 and is incorporated in Delaware.
OVF's key activities are:
Youth Vote Overseas (YVO) is a focused outreach program initiative of OVF. The YVO program launched in 2006 and has continued to serve as the only youth-oriented voting site dedicated to young voters overseas.
OVF has two sites tailored to military voters, the Military Voter Services site and their "LITE" site for low graphics/low bandwidth, which assists remote access.
Through OVF's websites voters have access to registration information, a down loadable Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, state-specific voter information directory (SVID), a local election official directory and a "voter help-desk." Users can submit questions to the voter help-desk, which are then answered within 24 hours. The full suite of voter services includes the following:
In 2008, annual discrete site visits reached 4.75 million individual users across 17-hosted OVF sites. 125,000 voters utilized the OVF voter registration (FPCA) and balloting systems. Forty percent of these registrants were young voters between 18 and 29 years old. 29 percent were first time voters. 24 percent were military voters.
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act is a United States federal law dealing with elections and voting rights for United States citizens residing overseas. The act requires that all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin...
(UOCAVA). OVF was founded in 2005 and is incorporated in Delaware.
Mission
To facilitate and increase participation of overseas and military absentee voters by providing public access to user-friendly, Internet-based voter services. The primary objective is to make it easier for all Americans residing around the world, and all military and dependents residing outside their home jurisdiction, to stay active in their home state's electoral process.OVF's key activities are:
- Developing tools and services that simplify the overseas and military absentee voter registration process
- Licensing customized voter services applications to states and voting organizations
- Providing outreach to voters through an ongoing communications program
- Conducting research and surveys of U.S. citizens regarding the overseas and military voter registration and absentee ballot process
Voter services and site usage
OVF has three primary websites: OVF Classic, Youth Vote Overseas and Military Voter Services. OVF also hosts individuals state websites for a total of 17 sites. Overseas American citizens, U.S. State Department employees, and active duty uniformed service members and their accompanying families within and outside of the United States can register to vote from abroad and request their ballots using OVF's suite of voter services.Youth Vote Overseas (YVO) is a focused outreach program initiative of OVF. The YVO program launched in 2006 and has continued to serve as the only youth-oriented voting site dedicated to young voters overseas.
OVF has two sites tailored to military voters, the Military Voter Services site and their "LITE" site for low graphics/low bandwidth, which assists remote access.
Through OVF's websites voters have access to registration information, a down loadable Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, state-specific voter information directory (SVID), a local election official directory and a "voter help-desk." Users can submit questions to the voter help-desk, which are then answered within 24 hours. The full suite of voter services includes the following:
- Absentee Voter Registration and Ballot Request: which are customized by state
- Vote-Print-Mail Ballot Service: provides automated write-in ballot with candidate lists
- Election Official Directory Services: a complete election office contact database
- State Voter Information Directory Service: provides dates, deadlines, contact information by state
- Voter Help Desk: instant response system knowledge base and personal help services
- My Voter Account: voters can save their registration data for future use
- Mailing List: voters can opt-in to join the mailing list and receive Voter Alerts
- Express Your Vote: FedEx ballot return shipping - special rates from 80 countries
- Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot: Voters can also interactively complete the Federal Write-In Absentee BallotFederal Write-In Absentee BallotThe Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot is a write-in ballot for use by overseas American citizens. Under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the ballot was created for citizens who "have made a timely application for but have not received their regular ballot from the state or...
on the OVF site, a service not available from any other nongovernmental, nonpartisan source.
In 2008, annual discrete site visits reached 4.75 million individual users across 17-hosted OVF sites. 125,000 voters utilized the OVF voter registration (FPCA) and balloting systems. Forty percent of these registrants were young voters between 18 and 29 years old. 29 percent were first time voters. 24 percent were military voters.
Additional information
OVF has a number of other important initiatives including:- OVF State Hosted Systems Program: a program that licenses the full suite of OVF tools customized for a state or voting organization, which can then be utilized as their own overseas and military voter services as a fully hosted solution
- OVF Research Program: The Research Program conducts in-depth post-election research with voters and election officials, produces a bi-monthly newsletter and is a clearing house of research reports regarding overseas and military voting.
- UOCAVA Summit: This annual conference program features an international slate of speakers. The Summit aims to build dialogue amongst those concerned with overseas and military absentee voting policies, processes and technologies. Now in its fifth year, the most recent Summit was held at Washington, D.C. in February 2011.
- The Power to MOVE: marketing collaboration program, this corresponds with the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act passed by Congress in October 2009.
- Express Your Vote: In 2008, FedEx Express teamed up with the OVF for the "Express Your Vote" campaign, offering free or reduced shipping of ballots back to the United States for the November 2008 election. FedEx and OVF will offer "Express Your Vote" services during the 2010 election.