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Best Practices

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Title: Best Practices


1
Best Practices Lessons Learned in working
with Advocacy Groups Observers and Language
Groups
2
Macareindeer with Tim, Michael Gail!A group
exercise!
3
Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee
4
ASSIST AND ADVISE
  • Outreach program development
  • Identify barriers to registration and voting
  • Evaluate polling place accessibility
  • Training of poll workers
  • Recruitment of poll workers
  • Pursuant to the Secretary of State Guidelines,
    each County Clerk or Registrar of Voters shall
    establish a Voting Accessibility Advisory
    Committee (VAAC).

5
Who are your vaac members?
  • people with disabilities
  • Representatives from organizations serving people
    with disabilities and elderly people, and
  • people with experience or background in
    architectural accessibility.
  • Size of committee is based on number of
    registered voters in your county.
  • Our committee consists of
  • Members of county disability services groups
  • A person who is visually impaired
  • Persons who use a wheelchair
  • Former county accessibility enforcement officer
  • County staff
  • Reps from Disability Rights California

6
WHAT OUR VAAC DOES
  • Meets quarterly
  • Advises on services to voters with specific
    needs disabilities, minority languages, elderly,
    etc
  • Acts as ambassadors for us to their communities
    to help us get the word out about our services
  • Provides us with information on up and coming
    issues in the access world which lets us be
    proactive in planning and resource allocation
  • Oversees how we are spending our access grant
    funds
  • Reviews polling places to determine if we can use
    the accessible symbol or not on our Sample Ballot
    booklets
  • Advises on Access Compliance Plan
  • Advises on bilingual outreach and materials
  • Assists with finding polling sites and surveying
    if needed
  • Helps develop and review training videos
  • Helps develop and review written materials

7
Best practices lessons learned
  • If you dont have a VAAC, start one.
  • Meet at least quarterly
  • Have an agenda
  • Take minutes
  • Recruit members through local disability service
    groups and organizations
  • If you are not able to find members, there are
    several resources State VAAC, Disability Rights
    California, FOCE

8
Election Observer Panel
9
Youre Invited!
  • Every county is required to submit an Election
    Observer Panel Plan to the Secretary of State.
  • In Santa Cruz County, an Election Observer Panel
    is invited to observe all procedures of the
    election process including Logic and Accuracy
    testing of voting equipment, vote-by-mail ballot
    processing, election officer trainings, Election
    Day activities, Election Night ballot counting,
    and canvass procedures.
  • Between E-60 and E-30, prepare e-mail invitations
    to the following
  • County Grand Jury
  • Political Party representatives
  • Representatives from jurisdictions on the ballot
  • League of Women Voters
  • Media
  • Other groups or individuals who have expressed an
    interest in observing the vote tallying and other
    election processes

10
Check-in procedures
  • All observers must sign in and sign out.
  • An Election Observer Badge will be issued and
    must be worn at all times and returned when the
    person leaves.
  • All observers must maintain a professional manner
    while observing the election processes.

11
Observers may
  • Observe the proceedings at all locations,
    includingthe opening and closing procedures at
    the polls.
  • Obtain information from the Public Alpha Index
    indicating who has come in to vote.
  • Make notes and watch all procedures.
  • View all activities at all locations.
  • View all election night polling place check-in
    and counting procedures.
  • View the canvass of the vote activities following
    the election.
  • View vote-by-mail and provisional ballot
    processing during the canvass.
  • Ask questions of staff or voters at all locations
    as long as it does not violate electioneering
    laws or disrupt the elections processes.
  • Ask questions of supervisors at the central
    counting site.

12
Observers may not
  • Interfere in any way with the conduct of any
    election.
  • Sit at the official worktable or touch any of the
    official voting equipment, supplies, or ballots.
  • Converse with voters (within 100 feet of a
    central voting location) regarding the casting of
    a vote, or speak to a voter regarding his or her
    qualifications to vote.
  • Wear candidate badges, discuss candidates or
    issues, or bring any campaign material into the
    polling place, and/or within 100 feet of the
    entrance to the polling place.
  • Wear the uniform of a peace officer, a private
    guard or security personnel.
  • Use cellular telephones, pagers or two-way radios
    inside the polling place, and/or within 100 feet
    of the entrance to the polling place.
  • Use the telephones or computers.
  • Use the area between the official worktable and
    voting booths as an observation point/post.
  • Touch election personnel.
  • Eat or drink at any location.
  • Assist in operations at any location.
  • Photograph, videotape, or otherwise record a
    voter entering or exiting a polling place with
    intent of dissuading them from voting.
  • All photography or videotaping must be approved
    by the site supervisor.

13
Ballot Challenges
  • Persons are permitted to observe and challenge
    the manner in which the vote-by-mail ballots are
    handled, from the processing of vote-by-mail
    ballot return envelopes through the qualifying
    and counting of the ballots (Elections Code
    15104b)
  • Observers may not challenge signatures on
    vote-by-mail ballot return envelopes. Only the
    elections official shall perform signature
    comparison.
  • Observers may challenge whether the individuals
    handling vote-by-mail ballots are following
    established procedures.
  • We have written procedures for processing
    vote-by-mail ballots provided by the Santa Cruz
    County Clerk/Elections Department.

14
Feedback
  • Panelists are provided a form for providing
    feedback concerning the ballot tabulation process
    and any other aspects of the administration of
    the election. However, panelists may also provide
    verbal feedback or written feedback, which does
    not have to be on the provided form.

15
BEST PRACTICES LESSONS LEARNED
  • Keep everything transparent.
  • Observers give you a chance to showcase what you
    do and why.
  • Observers leave with a better understanding of
    the elections process.
  • Observers are often recruited to be poll workers!
  • Feedback can lead to improving our processes and
    procedures.
  • Dont promise what you cant deliver.
  • Written guidelines are essential.
  • Make sure everyone signs in.
  • How to answer the question Why is it taking you
    so long?
  • Elections are like making sausage.

16
Language Requirements
  • Santa Cruz County does not fall under VRA Section
    5. Instead, we fall under EC 14201(d) to post
    voting materials in precincts with 3 of voting
    population who lack sufficient English skills to
    vote.
  • Languages we now provide
  • Spanish
  • Chinese Mandarin
  • Tagalog

17
Language plan
  • Identify local language groups
  • Latino Affairs Commission
  • UCSC Chinese Student Association
  • Filipino Community Center in Watsonville
  • How best to communicate with groups
  • Attend meetings
  • Radio
  • Television
  • Churches
  • Community centers
  • Social media

18
Language Assistance
  • Spanish DRE ballot at all precincts. Tagalog and
    Chinese paper translation at identified
    precincts.
  • Most all of our voter materials VNCs, voter
    information pages in SB books, snag letters are
    in English and Spanish.
  • Website has link to Multilingual Services Program
    in all three languages.
  • Page printed in SB books.
  • Telephones staffed by Spanish speakers and
    dedicated lines for Chinese and Tagalog.
  • Email addresses for each language.
  • Bilingual poll workers at identified polling
    places.

19
BEST PRACTICES LESSONS LEARNED
  • Provide media interviews with someone who speaks
    the language.
  • Translations best to have them double checked
    by people in the community who speak the
    language.
  • Important to get your information out about the
    services provided.
  • Need clean-up to AB 817 to allow students in the
    country with a visa to serve in the polls.

20
Other advocacy groups
  • Schools
  • High Schools Kids Vote Cabrillo College
    UCSC
  • Businesses Government Agencies
  • San Andrea Regional Center
  • Monterey Bay Providers Network
  • City Clerks
  • Libraries
  • Starbucks
  • Community Events
  • Pride
  • Cinco de Mayo
  • National Voter Registration Day
  • Strawberry Festival
  • Retirement, Assisted Independent Living
    Facilities
  • Jail Facilities
  • Organizations
  • Lions Club other service clubs
  • PEO Philanthropic Educational Organization
  • Retired Public Employees Association

21
  • Contact me with any questions
  • Gail L. PellerinSanta Cruz County
    Clerk831-454-2419gail.pellerin_at_santacruzcounty.u
    s
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