San Antonio, Texas - With a focus on civic engagement, the U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) proudly announced the debut of its online absentee ballot registration tool at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ 2012 American Democracy Project and the Democracy Commitment National Meeting.

US Vote’s absentee ballot services will launch on June 8th for 22 states: AL, AK, AZ, CA, CO, DC, IL, KY, LA, MA, MI, MN, MO, MS, NY, OH, RI, SC, TX, UT, WA, WY. The remaining states are planned to be online by June 15, 2012.

US Vote President and CEO Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat made the announcement during her featured session to the audience of higher education professionals. Dzieduszycka-Suinat said college students are in great need of this new service, but they are not the only ones who could benefit from it.

"We created this tool so that anyone who wishes to vote can be assisted - whether it be a traveling executive, a working parent, a home-bound person, or a college student away from home," said Dzieduszycka-Suinat. "The point of our services is access. We want to make sure all Americans are equipped with the tools they need to vote, from the polling place to the kitchen table."

US Vote’s absentee ballot request tool can be accessed at usvotefoundation.org.

US Vote is the first-ever online system that offers users a state-specific absentee ballot request for every state in the US. Users can complete the request form online, print it out, sign and mail it in to the local election office address that US Vote uniquely provides to them. No other system offers local election addresses and contact details for US absentee voters. Voter profile information can be saved online with the "My Voter Account" service. Users then have the ability to access their information from any computer at their convenience and edit it for future requests.

According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, more than 22.2 million domestic absentee ballots were cast in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election.

"We are spearheading the modernization of domestic absentee ballot request," said Dzieduszycka-Suinat. "This technology will improve the quality of absentee ballot requests, which will also assist election officials across the country."

The higher education community has responded positively: "Young voters look for registration services online first. Now they will find comprehensive services that include an online absentee ballot request. We hope that our ADP participants and our community college colleagues will make great use the state-specific tools offered by US Vote," said George Mehaffy, Vice President for Academic Leadership and Change, American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).

US Vote debuted its state-specific voter registration services in late January at the annual summit of Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF), its internationally respected parent organization. US Vote utilizes OVF’s friendly web-based information tools, combined with state-specific voter registration, and now absentee ballot request capabilities. Its website features a complete suite of voter services:

• Voter Registration: provides user-friendly assistance to generate a completed state-specific registration application that meets state requirements

• Absentee Ballot Request: the first online system to produce state specific forms for voters who wish to vote by mail. Assists voters to generate a completed state-specific absentee ballot request that meets state requirements

• My Voter Account: manage and maintain a "personal democracy dashboard," making the repetitive tasks of registering and requesting a ballot easier

• Election Official Directory: maintained as the nation’s most comprehensive database of election official contacts, websites, emails and addresses for every U.S. voting jurisdiction

• State-specific Voter Information Directory: offers state-specific information including election dates, form filing deadlines, identification and other requirements

• Voter Help Desk: offers an instant response to commonly asked election and voting questions

• Candidate Finder: links users to candidate names and backgrounds, accessed simply by entering a voting address

OVF has self-funded the creation and deployment of US Vote. As a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, donations are accepted to keep the free services available to the public.

Lightning Fast Access to Your Absentee Ballot Request:
(for registered voters)

1. Go to usvotefoundation.org
2. Choose your state
3. Select "Absentee Ballot Request"
4. Login into "My Voter Account" or continue
5. Enter state specific data
6. Download your completed state-specific form
7. Print, Sign and Send the form to the local election office address provided
8. After sending, always check with your local election official to confirm acceptance
9. Your absentee ballot will arrive in the mail!

About U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote)
U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) provides domestic U.S. voters with public access to innovative voter registration tools and services. It is a trademarked initiative of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Overseas Vote Foundation. More information is available at usvotefoundation.org, Twitter (@us_vote), Facebook (US Vote), and Youtube (usvotefoundation).

About Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF)
Overseas Vote Foundation helps overseas and military U.S. voters participate in federal elections by providing public access to innovative voter registration tools and services. It is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. More information is available at overseasvotefoundation.org, Twitter (@overseasvote), Facebook (Overseas Vote Foundation) and YouTube (overseasvote).