Briefing: Vote Centers are Coming to CA: What do we need to know to help ensure successful and equitable Implementation?

August 29, 2017


UC Center Sacramento: Lower Level, Conference Rm. B, 1130 K St, Sacramento, CA
Lunch provided following the event
RSVP at tmheath@ucdavis.edu by 5 p.m., August 28, 2017
 

Vote Centers are Coming to California: What do we need to know to help ensure successful and equitable implementation?

Beginning in 2018, selected counties will participate in the new Voter’s Choice Act (VCA) which expands voters’ options for how, where and when they cast their ballots. Mindy Romero, Ph.D., director of the UC Davis California Civic Engagement Project (CCEP), will present CCEP research on California voters’ perceptions of vote centers that identifies some of the opportunities and challenges that may arise when switching to a vote center model, particularly for electorally underrepresented populations. This research will help inform implementation strategies by election officials and community leaders as they work together in their planning for a new election model.  Dr. Romero will also preview a new mapping tool currently in development by the CCEP and DataKind designed to provide assistance to California county election offices seeking to implement the new Voter's Choice Act. The goal of this tool is to help election officials make informed decisions about where to locate Vote Centers and Vote-by-Mail drop boxes, while minimizing the risk of voter confusion and decreased participation, especially for voter groups historically underrepresented in California's electorate.

What is the Voter's Choice Act?

In 2016, Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 450 which allows counties to choose to adopt a new voting system. Known as the Voter's Choice Act, this new model enables counties to mail every registered voter a vote-by-mail ballot which the voter can mail in, and return at a secure drop box or a newly established Vote Center. At Vote Centers, voters can cast their ballots in person, drop off their vote-by-mail ballots, access same-day voter registration, receive replacement ballots, and access additional services. Of California’s 58 counties, 14 counties are eligible to opt in during the 2018 election, while the remaining counties are eligible to adopt the model in 2020.
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For additional information on the California Civic Engagement Project, visit:
http://explore.regionalchange.ucdavis.edu/ourwork/projects/ucdavis-ccep
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