Best Practices

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Best Practices Lessons Learned in working
with Advocacy Groups Observers and Language
Groups
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Macareindeer with Tim, Michael Gail!A group
exercise!
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Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee
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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).

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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

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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

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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

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Election Observer Panel
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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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