State Election Officials Working with Harvard Institute of Politics to Provide Nonpartisan Voting Assistance to Nation's College Students and Other Voters Taking Part in Presidential Preference Primaries

WASHINGTON, DC–-With less than a week to go until the Iowa caucuses signal the official start of the 2012 presidential election cycle, the National Association of Secretaries of State is offering an online guide to voting in the presidential primaries. The NASS 2012 Presidential Primaries Guide, compiled in consultation with state election offices with the help of National Campaign Committee students at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, offers non-partisan voting information for 38 states holding presidential preference primaries, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The guide, which is online at www.nass.org, will be made available to college campuses and community outreach organizations across the U.S.

In addition to providing state snapshots with voter registration, absentee/early voting and voter hotline information, the new guide details some of the costs and state/local government impacts of running a presidential primary. The report also contains a Frequently Asked Questions section with information on the NASS Rotating Regional Presidential Primaries Plan, the association’s longstanding proposal to reform the presidential nominating process, as well as an overview of state presidential primary trends for 2012.

“Secretaries of State want to encourage voter participation in presidential preference primaries for 2012. We are pleased to showcase election information and supply tools for engagement through this guide,” said NASS President Beth Chapman of Alabama. “It also helps to highlight the administrative realities that election officials are facing leading up to the presidential election cycle, including new political party rules, laws, court judgments, redistricting plans, along with state budgetary woes and the countless other issues that have impacted the election process for 2012.”

“Efforts to make the voting process easier and less confusing – particularly for first-time voters and others who vote by absentee ballot – are critical to ensuring a healthy democracy,” said Trey Grayson, Harvard Institute of Politics Director and former National Association of Secretaries of State President (2009-10). “Our National Campaign students are proud to have helped create the Presidential Primaries Guide and provide voters the information they need to participate in this highly anticipated election cycle.”

Although the NASS primaries guide does not cover party-driven processes such as caucuses and delegate selection/allocation plans, the association is also maintaining a full 2012 primaries and caucus calendar on its website at www.nass.org.

Download the NASS 2012 Presidential Primaries Guide at www.nass.org.

About NASS
Founded in 1904, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) is the oldest nonpartisan, professional association of public officials in the United States. Members include the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa and Puerto Rico.

About the Harvard IOP National Campaign
Created in 2003, the Institute’s National Campaign for Political and Civic Engagement is a consortium of twenty-three colleges and universities around the country committed to creating more politically and civically engaged campuses.

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