Actual Vote for Community Leaders

If people in your community trust you — whether you’re a faith leader, a neighborhood organizer, a union steward, a local elected official, or anyone else people turn to — you’re in a unique position to help strengthen election transparency in your area.

Why this is a natural fit for you

You already mobilize people around things that matter. Election transparency is one of those things — and unlike most election integrity efforts, Actual Vote gives you something concrete and actionable to offer your community.

Here’s what makes it different from just telling people to vote:

It’s non-partisan. You can organize Actual Vote participation without taking a political side. The tool produces honest evidence about vote reporting regardless of who uses it. That means you can bring it to your community without it becoming a partisan wedge — in fact, the more politically diverse your group of volunteers, the more credible the findings.

It’s tangible. People leave with something real: they recorded evidence, it got analyzed, and findings were published. That’s a different experience from most civic engagement, where the connection between individual effort and outcome is abstract.

It builds community capacity. Once you’ve organized a group of Actual Vote volunteers for one election, you have infrastructure for the next one. And the skills transfer — people who’ve learned to navigate their county’s election system, contact election officials, and work with public records become more effective civic actors in general.

What organizing an Actual Vote effort looks like

Before the election: Introduce Actual Vote to your community (America Counts can provide materials and even join a training session with your group). Help volunteers make their plans — which polling places to visit, which methods to use. Coordinate coverage: divide up polling places so you cover as many precincts as possible. Connect with America Counts so we can prioritize your area in our analysis queue.

Election night (or whenever your group is recording): Volunteers head out to record poll tapes at their assigned locations. You serve as the coordination point — checking in, troubleshooting, making sure coverage is happening.

After the election: America Counts analyzes the recordings and publishes findings. You share the results with your community. If there’s something to celebrate (accurate reporting confirmed) or something to question (discrepancies found), you’re the person who can contextualize it for your community.

What your community gets out of it

Independent evidence about their elections. Not someone else’s opinion — actual, verifiable data about whether the vote reporting in your area was done correctly.

A new form of civic engagement. Many people in your community may feel disconnected from the political process. Actual Vote offers something beyond voting: a way to actively participate in ensuring elections are trustworthy.

Visibility. When America Counts publishes an audit report that includes your area, your community’s name is on the map. You contributed to the growing body of independent evidence about election accuracy in the United States.

How America Counts supports you

You don’t have to figure this out alone. We can:

• Provide training sessions (virtual or in-person) for your group
• Help you research poll tape access methods in your area
• Supply materials you can share with your community
• Prioritize your area in our analysis queue
• Connect you with other community leaders running similar efforts

Concerned about controversy?

Election integrity is a loaded phrase these days. You might worry that organizing an Actual Vote effort will be perceived as partisan or conspiratorial. Here’s why it won’t:

Actual Vote is built on well-established auditing methodology endorsed by major nonpartisan organizations. It uses only public information. It’s open to everyone. And the findings speak for themselves — publicly archived and independently verifiable.

We’ve written extensively about how we maintain non-partisanship and how to distinguish genuine election integrity work from organizations using that language for partisan purposes. We’re happy to walk you through any of this before you commit.

Ready to bring Actual Vote to your community?

Contact us and tell us about your community and what you’re thinking. We’ll help you figure out the best approach for your area and your people.

For background on how the whole system works, our Start Here guide has the full walkthrough.