Registration Improvements for California Voters

California is poised to become the newest Election Day Registration (EDR) state. Currently, Californians must be registered two weeks ahead of Election Day, but under a new bill eligible voters would be allowed to register up to and on Election Day.

If Governor Brown signs the bill, California will join ten other states and the District of Columbia in allowing some form of same day registration--but it would not take effect until 2016 after the completion of a statewide voter database.

EDR is implemented differently in every state, and in California, voters needing to register on Election Day would have to visit a county registrar's office (rather than their regular polling station) where they would be able to register and vote.

But that's not all: beginning in September of this year, California voters will be able to register to vote online. For about six weeks leading up to the October 22nd registration deadline, voters will likely be able to register in "a one-click process."

Although California voters can currently enter their information online and have a registration form automatically populated, they are still required to print, sign, and mail the form.

Online registration is made possible by coordination between the databases of the Secretary of State and the Department of Motor Vehicles, authorized by law last fall. Not only will online registration streamline the process for voters, it will also save counties staff time and money by reducing data input from paper forms and eliminating possible data-entry errors.

Although Secretary of State Bowen said her office will undertake an extensive public awareness campaign once the system is operational, she expects that "an awareness campaign will take care of itself." Let's help the good news travel fast ahead of November 6th!

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Remember to Vote with Your Mission!

It's Election Day in California, where CalNonprofits' Vote with Your Mission campaign is officially underway! Last month, we described their efforts to achieve 100% participation among California's nonprofit staff and volunteers in the 2012 June and November elections.

As of today, more than 100 nonprofits have already signed on! Organizations represent the diversity of California's nonprofit community in terms of geography, size, community served, and type of services offered. They include direct social service providers, arts organizations, advocacy and policy groups, private foundations, and statewide and regional coalitions and associations. More than two dozen organizations have signed up as campaign co-sponsors, agreeing to reach out to at least 15 other nonprofits to encourage them to join the campaign.

Nonprofit VOTE serves as a campaign resource partner, providing nonpartisan voter registration and engagement materials and webinars to participants. We're proud to support this type of leadership effort to bring nonprofit voter engagement into the mainstream. Just remember, you don't have to be a California nonprofit to join the voter engagement movement or to encourage your affiliates to vote with your mission!

LA County Takes Strategic Look at Elections

Last fall the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk--overseeing the largest voting district in the country with over four million voters--announced that it would completely overhaul its election system over the next five years.

Before making any decisions, however, they wanted to know what voters thought about elections. They surveyed more than 1,000 voters and more than 1,000 poll workers, as well as city clerks and county staff, asking participants what they liked about the current voting system and what they'd like to see in the future. The county also got input from various stakeholders like advocates for persons with disabilities and those with limited English skills.

Last week, the county hosted and live streamed one of their Voting Systems Project discussions, broadcasting ongoing updates and tweeting images from brainstorming sessions like a ballot receipt mockup and a sketch for drive-thru voting.

The county is sharing its survey findings with think tanks and other organizations in hopes that they may be used to design a better voting system. The goal is to have the new system functioning countywide in time for the presidential elections in 2016.

Elections are the vehicle through which citizens' voices are heard, so kudos to LA County for giving the public a say in how they can or can't cast their ballot. Read more about LA County's efforts.

California Nonprofits to "Vote with Your Mission"

On May 1st, the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits) launched their Vote with Your Mission campaign with the goal of 100% participation among California's nonprofit staff and volunteers in the upcoming June and November elections.

What does "Vote with Your Mission" mean? CalNonprofits explains that "all of us have come to work and volunteer in nonprofits because we have ideals about changing the world. Whatever those ideals are, use your vote to further them."

CalNonprofits paves the way by clarifying Frequently Asked Legal Questions and providing a variety of election information and a Vote with Your Mission Campaign Kit. By joining the campaign, nonprofits pledge to complete at least two tasks--such as putting up a poster in a visible area, providing on-site voter registration materials, adopting the "Vote with Your Mission" slogan, and more.

Participants are encouraged to reach out to other nonprofits and CalNonprofits even provides a sample email. Already, over 60 nonprofits have signed on, with more joining daily. This type of leadership in the nonprofit community is helping to steer voter engagement toward the mainstream.

But you don't have to be a California nonprofit to join the voter engagement movement or to encourage your affiliates to vote with your mission! Browse Nonprofit VOTE's materials for ideas on how to get started. Just don't wait until it's too late--prepare for this year's election(s) now!

Voter Registration Initiatives in California

September has been an exciting and busy month for voter registration legislation in California. The state passed two new registration laws which will make the registration process more accessible. Their passage is yet another reason we're excited to celebrate voter registration this month. 

The first bill allows "new citizens"--individuals who became citizens during the two weeks before Election Day--to both register and vote at a designated location in the two weeks preceding Election Day, as well as on Election Day itself. The second bill allows county elections officials to move ahead in developing their own online registration systems. California is currently developing a statewide registration database that will enable online registration, but due to various issues, it is still a few years away from completion.

Congrats to California for expanding voter registration opportunities! 

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National Popular Vote: (Almost) Halfway There

On Monday California Governor Jerry Brown signed the National Popular Vote bill, making California the 8th state to enact the law, along with Washington D.C.

With California on board, the National Popular Vote plan now has 49% of the electoral votes needed (132 of 270) to guarantee the presidency to the winner of the popular vote. With 55 electoral votes, California is not only the largest state to sign on so far, but also the state with the greatest number of electoral votes. Texas (who has not signed the agreement) is the state with the second largest number of votes, at 38 (after the 2010 reapportionment).

Remember, the Agreement Among the States to elect the President by National Popular Vote only takes effect when it has been approved by enough states to guarantee that the majority of Electoral College votes would go the winner of the national popular vote. Although the movement still has plenty of work ahead, for now supporters are sure to enjoy their latest victory.

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California Moves Closer to Finalizing New Districts

The California Citizens Redistricting Commission recently approved the final drafts of the state's new district maps, setting the stage for its next challenge--potential lawsuits. The commission must formally certify the maps by August 15 and present them to the secretary of state, although Californians can challenge the districts in court or at the polls. Redistricting is always a heated affair, no matter who is in charge, and creating new maps for 53 congressional districts, 120 legislative districts, and four State Board of Equalization districts is bound to make some groups and individuals unhappy.

Whatever the outcome, the successful creation and implementation of the Commission should still be applauded. Rather than focusing on protecting party interests, map-makers worked to keep communities of interest together, while considering geographical compactness, and protecting minority representation. Of course, balancing these many considerations was no easy task, and compromises had to be made. In the process, the Commission fielded nearly 20,000 written comments in addition to the 2,700 comments made at 34 public hearings across the state.

With the redistricting process nearly complete, many are beginning to wonder about the future of the 14 commissioners. They serve 10-year terms and once the maps are finalized, it is unclear what they will work on next, or for the next nine years.

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In California, Redistricting Input Generates Results

Did you attend a local redistricting hearing to offer testimony about your community? If so, rest assured that it paid off. Last week California's Citizens Redistricting Commission released the first set of draft redistricting maps. Upon their release, Greenlining Institute Redistricting Fellow Michelle Romero noted "One thing that's clear is that when communities turned out to make their feelings known, it made a difference."

Unfortunately, so far communities of color have shown up in smaller numbers. Luckily, this is just the first set of maps, and the Commission will continue to hold community meetings across the state to gather input. If you considered attending one, but haven't yet, there's still time! Romero encouraged "Anyone who feels the draft maps don't treat their communities appropriately...to speak up now."

The Commission has already fielded comments from more than 1,500 people. "Our No. 1 priority at this point is to give every single person in California a political voice," said Chairman Gabino Aguirre, who receives hundreds of emails each day about the Commission's work. The Redistricting Commission has until August 15 to submit the final maps to the secretary of state for approval.

Luckily, it's not just Californians who get to participate. See what the redistricting process looks like in your state, and make sure to speak up because you can influence where the lines are drawn!


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Californians May Soon Be Able to Register Online

Californians may soon be able to use their computers to register to vote and they can thank the state Department of Motor Vehicles for the chance. The San Francisco Chronicle has this story...

New Resource: Overview of California's 2008 Redistricting Reform

The Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) has published a comprehensive overview of California's 2008 redistricting reform proposals to assist legislators, the media, and interested citizens in understanding and comparing the measures. In an easy-to-read chart format, the Overview (pdf) details the major provisions of California's current redistricting law and compares them with the pending legislative and ballot initiative proposals listed below:

• The current redistricting law, Article XXI of the California Constitution

• Voters FIRST Initiative, Proposition 11, sponsored by California Common Cause, AARP, Governor Schwarzenegger and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce

• Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1 (ACA 1) and AB 3069, sponsored by former Speaker of the California Assembly Fabian Núñez

• The model redistricting plan previously developed by CGS and other civic organizations

Over Half of All California Voters Used Mail Ballots

On July 14, the California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, in a press release, noted that for the first time ever, over half the voters who voted in the recent primary cast their votes by mail. Specifically, 58.7% of all voters who voted, voted by mail. California is the third state to have experienced this phenomenon. All votes in Oregon are now cast by mail, and in Washington state in recent elections, the overwhelming majority of votes have been cast by mail. Read the press release.

New Report: IRV in San Francisco, 2004-2006

Francis Neely and Corey Cook examine San Francisco voters’ experience with instant runoff voting (IRV) from 2004-2006. Demographic influences on ranking the candidates – do certain demographic groups rank more candidates than others for example – are found to be very limited. Overall voters are found to have adapted relatively well to IRV. American Politics Research, July 2008. Read the report.

CA Legislature Passes National Popular Vote Plan

On 06/30, the California Assembly passed National Popular Vote Plan bill (SB 37). The measure already passed the State Senate in 2007.

The bill now will be sent for the second time to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for signature (Governor Schwarzenegger previously vetoed the measure in 2006).