Action Kits /
VOTE411 Resources Toolkit
A guide to VOTE411.org's capabilities and resources for promoting it.
Table of Contents
About VOTE411
A product of the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF), VOTE411.org has served tens of millions of voters and won multiple national awards over the last fifteen plus years. We have long been a trusted source of objective and nonpartisan election information — your “one-stop shop” for everything about elections. We provide meticulously researched bilingual election information in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and provide updates throughout the year as information changes. Every election, whether local, state, or federal, is important to ensuring our laws and policies reflect the values and beliefs of our communities.
Key Features of VOTE411
- Absentee ballot information and request tool.
- Online voter registration tool and voter registration verification support.
- Candidate and ballot measure information.
- Information customized to a user's address so they only see the candidates and ballot issues on their personal ballot. This information also provides detailed information on the candidates, including LWV-provided questions to the candidates and their responses, in their own words! Voters have the ability to compare candidates side by side before making their selections.
- Early voting options.
- Upcoming election dates and registration deadlines.
- We cover all elections, no matter how small!
- First-time voter checklist and healthy voting checklist.
- Polling place hours and location finder.
- Eligibility requirements.
- Voter ID requirements.
- Voting machine explanations.
- State and local candidate debate/forum invitations and recorded videos.
VOTE411 Voter Guide Software
Leagues can use the brand new, state-of-the-art software to create a unique voter guide for voters in your communities! With this online tool, state and local Leagues can gather and publish candidate information with greater ease, consistency, and visibility. The software allows your League to:
- Cover any state or local race or ballot measure.
- Publish an online Voter Guide for your community in an easy-to-use, voter specific format (only shows voters the races on their personal ballot!)
- Invite candidates to participate and answer our questions, using a custom email tool.
- This tool gives your League the ability to automatically personalize each email while sending out invitations to hundreds of candidates at once!
- Track the progress of your data collection with easy-to-use dashboards.
- Download all data entered into VOTE411 for formatting into a traditional printed voter guide.
- Strengthen partnerships with election officials, media outlets, candidates, and voters by producing accurate, consistent information each election cycle.
Interested in Getting Started?
Join the hundreds of state and local Leagues across the country who participate in the VOTE411 voter guide program and sign up today! Getting started is easy — just fill out this request form, and LWVEF staff will reach out with further information. Participation in this program is annual and allows you to cover each and every election in your chosen area (statewide, local, down through State House, etc.) for the calendar year. Sign up early to get the most “bang for your buck” and cover all the elections in your communities!
Online Voter Guide Trainings and Resources
Getting started with the new system or have questions about specific aspects of the voter guide? We have all the trainings and resources for you! If you have questions after checking these resources, please contact LWVEF staff (email: [email protected]), and they’ll help answer all of your questions!
Manuals and Guides
Training Videos
- Full training (90 minutes)
- Logging in
- Two-Factor Authentication
- Email Two-Factor Authentication
- Guide Dashboard
- Races & Measures
- Creating Races
- Creating Measures
- Bulk Import
- Candidates
- Mail Center (Email and Snail Mail)
- Single Spaced Email Templates
- Candidates View
- Candidates (Photos)
- Districts
- GIS
- Manual Districts (Composite, Zip Code, District Set)
- Language
- Switch guide
- Filter tables
- Publishing
- Archiving candidates
- Bulk edit
- Data Export
- Delete/Recycling Bin
- Preview Guide before Publishing
Sample Candidate Questions
Each federal cycle LWVUS updates the list of suggested questions for upper level races. These questions are determined using polling from several groups across the country to find out what the biggest issues in voters mind this cycle. You can find the most up-to-date list of questions here.
VOTE411 Promotion
LWVEF has created a comprehensive VOTE411 Promotional Toolkit to help Leagues promote the website in their communities.
VOTE411 Promotional Videos
LWVEF has created several VOTE411 promotional videos for Leagues to use and share with partners/media in your communities. The videos live on our League YouTube page, and new videos are added regularly. Many videos are available in both English and Spanish.
VOTE411 Brand Standards
When promoting VOTE411, be sure to follow the brand standards to protect the VOTE411 brand. You can find all the information you need about the brand here:
Social Media & Press
Help get the word out about VOTE411 on social media and in the press using these resources:
VOTE411 Promotional Materials
LWVEF has designed physical materials for Leagues to print or order to promote VOTE411.
- VOTE411 Door Hangers
- Register to Vote sign & VOTE411 postcard
- LWVUS Merch Portal — includes posters, stickers, buttons, postcards
- VOTE411 Poster Templates — customizable, brand-compliant posters for Leagues to print and share in their community
- VOTE411 "Plan Your Vote" Palm Cards — cards Leagues can print at home or professionally with steps on how to make a voting plan
Candidate Pressure Campaign
Voters deserve to know where the candidates stand on the important issues. VOTE411 does not speak on behalf of candidates. Instead, we provide all candidates an opportunity to answer the most pressing questions in their communities, in their own words.
Allowing candidates to speak directly to voters through our online voter guide platform ensures that the candidates’ views are accurately represented (words matter!). Yet, even after multiple contacts from League volunteers across the country, we have candidates who have not yet responded to our questions. Use these tools to put public pressure on candidates to fill out your voter guide.
- Candidate Pressure Campaign Toolkit
- VOTE411 page: Find out how you and other voters in your community can help!
- Candidate Pressure videos
- Candidate Pressure Letter to the editor template
QR Code and Widget
Interested in sharing a QR code or widget with your partners? Find instructions here.
VOTE411 Social Media
LWVUS has dedicated staff posting on VOTE411 social media accounts, and you can share these posts on your own League’s social media accounts.