Our Issues – Voter Outreach 

Voter Outreach & Education

CalVEC provides guidance for organizations seeking to outreach and educate voters, particularly voters from traditionally disenfranchised communities.  CalVEC members have experience in outreach and training to voters from non-English speaking communities, limited English language communities, low income communities,  ethnically distinct communities and disability communities, such as people with cognitive, psychiatric, physical, sensory or learning disabilities. 

CalVEC advocates for adequate state and county resources directed at voter education of these communities, including the improvement of policies and procedures for translations.  CalVEC's believes that California's elected officials must pay particular attention to constituencies that have greater barriers to voting (e.g., voters with disabilities and African-American, Latino, Asian Pacific American, senior, and minority language voters) in order to address barriers to voting and increase voter confidence by providing effective voter outreach and education.

CALVEC EDUCATION & OUTREACH PRINCIPLES

• Voting materials should be displayed and distributed on Election Day:  As required by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), all polling places should have sample ballots displayed in English and minority languages.   Polling places should also strictly comply with HAVA's requirements regarding the other information that must be displayed, including information on the date of the election and the hours of the polling place, ID requirements, instructions on how to vote, including how to cast a vote and a provisional ballot, and general information on voting rights, including instructions on how to contact the appropriate officials if these rights have been violated. 

• New voters should be actively sought, registered and provided information on the importance of voting: Community organizations, the Secretary of State and County Election Officials should be committed to registering new voters and encouraging voter participation. Registered voters should be notified that they have successfully registered.  Voter registration and participation efforts should be multilingual and especially targeted towards disenfranchised communities.
  
• Registered voters should be educated on voting method options:  It is important to provide education and outreach to voters on the various options they have for voting (e.g., early voting, voting by absentee ballot, Election Day voting and voting with a provisional ballot on Election Day).
  
• Voters should be educated on new voting systems:  For those counties that will be moving to new voting systems, considerable advance work must be done to educate voters.  Voter education should include multilingual materials and presentations for those who are not proficient in English, and information for people with disabilities.
  
• Ex-felons should be educated about voting rights: Ex-felons and citizens on probation and parole should receive notification about their voting rights, and procedures by which these rights may be restored.
  
• People whose right to vote has been restored because they have been removed from conservatorship should be educated about their voting rights:  People who are no longer on conservatorships should be notified about their voting rights and how to restore their right to vote.
  
• Community outreach events should target low-voter turnout precincts and other under-represented communities: Strategic locations within targeted low-voter turnout precincts should be used to educate low propensity and new voters about how to use voting systems and the election services for elderly voters, minority language voters, and voters with disabilities.
  
• The state complaint procedure should be publicized: The complaint procedure should be publicized and explained to voters so they can file complaints when needed.
  
• Election hotlines should be adequately staffed and provide timely responses:  Telephone lines need to be staffed by people with appropriate language abilities, disability rights knowledge and well staffed to lesson the wait time for assistance and responses.
  
• Language minority voters should be provided with adequate assistance:  For jurisdictions that are covered by Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), voting sites should have poll workers who are able to speak the languages required under the VRA and have voting materials in those languages.  Even if a jurisdiction is not covered by the VRA with respect to a particular language group, the jurisdiction should consider providing appropriate language assistance at any voting site that serves a sizeable number of minority language voters.
  
• Community education and outreach is critical:  Given the major changes that have resulted from the implementation of HAVA and other election-related legislation, it is absolutely necessary that there be extensive education and outreach to language minority voters, people with disabilities and other under-represented communities about these changes.
  
• Multilingual voting materials must be provided:  Limited English proficiency or non-English speaking voters should have access to voting materials in their language. 
  
• Election Day translation services are necessary:  Limited English proficiency or non-English speaking voters should have access to poll registration and voting directions in their language. Bilingual poll workers should be recruited by developing relationships with grassroots organizations that are familiar with different minority language voters.
  
• Polling place access is critical for voters with disabilities: Polling place access is still an issue for many voters with physical disabilities.  In addition, voters with other types of disabilities are turned away or denied simple accommodations by poll workers who are not given adequate training on working with voters with disabilities.  California should take responsibility for ensuring polling place access and ensuring that poll workers are adequately trained regarding the access and accommodation needs of people with all types of disabilities. 
  
• Voting systems must be accessible to voters with disabilities:  Although we believe that all voting equipment should be fully accessible to people with disabilities, at the very least each polling place must have at least one accessible voting machine.  These systems should allow individuals with disabilities to vote independently and privately, so that the secrecy of their ballots is protected. Voters with disabilities should be informed in advance of the availability of accessible voting system and educated on how to use them.