POLL MONITORING TRAINING June 2016 PRIMARY ELECTION ACLU of California Voting Rights Project June 6, 2016 Yreka, CA (via Skype) 1

Overview of Poll Monitor Training Purpose of Poll Monitoring What Poll Monitors Will Do Overview of Poll Site Set-up and Materials Overview of Voting Process Problems to watch for and how to report them

Purpose of Poll Monitoring Poll monitoring (or observing) is nonpartisan. Your presence is critical to the protection of voting rights. Poll monitoring ensures that no voter is denied the right to cast a ballot. Ensures that poll sites and poll workers are in compliance with Federal and State laws Ensures that no voter is intimidated or turned away without casting a ballot. 3

What Poll Monitors Do 4 As nonpartisan volunteers, you will :  Introduce yourself to the poll inspector and poll workers; find an out of the way spot to observe.  Observe for accessibility for disabled, elderly and limited English proficient voters.  Ensure no one is discouraged from voting.  Answer voters’ questions and assist w/ problems.  Fill out a poll monitor report on general observations of how the polling place is running.  Gather facts and fill out incident reports for specific problems you observe.

What Monitors Should NOT Do Influence a person’s vote. Discuss candidates or ballot measures inside or outside of the polling site. Wear or display any campaign materials. Interfere with poll workers administering the election. Approach poll workers when they are interacting with voters or during busy voting periods. 5

Poll Site Set-Up & Materials Exterior signs Interior signs Poll worker table Voting booths Accessible voting booth(s) Ballot box Voter guides and how-to-vote instructions Multilingual materials (Spanish) 6

Exterior Signs 7

Interior Signs 8

Voter Information Kiosk/Stands 9

Poll Worker Table 10

Voting Booths 11

Accessible Voting Booths 12

Statewide Voter Information Guides 13

Ballots 14

Provisional Ballot Envelopes 15

Sample Ballot Pamphlet 16

Voting Instructions 17

Language Assistance Under Federal Law Under the Federal Voting Rights Act, Section 203, a jurisdiction must provide language assistance and all voting materials in language when a language group (Asian Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Alaskan Natives) reaches a threshold size and the rate of English illiteracy is above the national average. Siskiyou County is not required to provide voting materials in any language under Federal law 18

State Law Language Assistance Requirements Under California law, a county must provide language assistance in election precincts where the number of limited English speaking, voting-age residents from a group reaches 3% of the total voting-age residents in a precinct. In Siskiyou County, Spanish language assistance must be offered in most precincts under the state law formula. The County should: Try to recruit bilingual poll workers who speak Spanish. Post Spanish language version of sample ballots, ballot instructions, the statewide voter guide, Sample Ballot Pamphlet, and the Voter Bill of Rights 19

Hmong Language Assistance Not Required No county in the state is required to provide assistance in Hmong. Therefore, the state does not have voting materials available in Hmong. HOWEVER, a voter has the right to bring someone into the voting booth with them to translate the ballot. That person should not be telling the voter how to vote. 20

Section 208 of Voting Rights Act Under Section 208 of the federal Voting Rights Act Voters have the right to take an assistor of their choice into the voting booth “Assistor of choice” includes anyone except voter’s employer or someone from voter’s union 21

Who Is Working in the Polling Site? Precinct inspector (supervises) Roster clerk Street index clerk Ballot clerk Demonstration clerk Sometimes different tables for different precincts Some counties also have a roving polling site troubleshooter who covers several polling sites and helps with voting machine problems, etc. 22

23 Historically, poll workers were citizens and registered voters. But a new California law also permits lawful permanent residents (green card holders) to serve as poll workers.

24 Look for Poll Worker s Wearing Name Badges

Overview of Voting Process Voting process in brief: Voter checks in with roster clerk. Voter signs the roster and is issued a ballot. Some counties may require the voter to state their name and address out loud (this is required by state law, but not all counties do it). Voter goes to voting booth or machine and fills out their ballot. Voter inserts ballot into ballot box. 25

Voter casts a provisional ballot if:  Voter’s name not in roster  Vote-by-mail voter wishes to vote in person but doesn’t have vote-by- mail ballot to give up  Voter is required to show ID but doesn’t have it The voter must fill out a provisional ballot envelope that the ballot is put into. They should be careful to complete everything on the outside of the envelope. They MUST SIGN the envelope! The voter should keep the receipt and this will help them check later if their vote was counted. Provisional Ballots 26

MYTH: A person must show photo ID before voting. FACT: The ONLY time a person is required to show any form of ID in California is if they registered to vote without providing a driver’s license, state ID or social security number AND they are voting for the first time. ONLY IN THAT CIRCUMSTANCE are they required to show some proof of residency with their name and address, such as a utility bill or a piece of mail from the government that shows their name and address. 27 THE VOTER ID MYTH

A PERSON BELIEVES THEY ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE BUT DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE POLL BOOK:  Is voter at correct polling site?  If the person is a first-time voter, find out where and when they registered to vote and if they received any confirmation.  If the person is not a first-time voter, encourage the voter to ask a poll worker to inquire whether the voter is on the list of inactive voters (this is a separate list they should have).  If the voter is a student, did they register at their campus or home address?  If registration cannot be verified, encourage the voter to cast a provisional ballot and tell them how to verify that it was counted. 28 VOTER REGISTRATION PROBLEMS

Common Problems for Limited English Proficient and First-Time Voters 29  Voter is at wrong poll site  Voter’s name is not in the check-in roster  Inspector or poll worker can’t understand voter’s name  Poll site lacks any translated materials (Spanish)  Poll site has translated materials but the materials are hidden or badly displayed  Poll site does not have any bilingual poll workers  Poll worker does not understand voter has right to a translator in the voting booth

Common Problems for Limited English Proficient and First-Time Voters  Inspector or poll worker asks voter to show ID and voter is not a first-time voter who registered by mail (this is only okay if the voter voluntarily shows his/her ID)  Voter sent to the back of the line because of language barriers (e.g. poll worker gets impatient with voter for taking too long to check in)  Voter has difficulty using voting machine  Voter brings translator (family or friend) to help and is denied the use of the translator  Inspector or poll worker makes disparaging remarks – “Why can’t these people speak English” 30

Law Enforcement Presence Law enforcement vehicles should not be present outside polling sites. Uniformed officers should not be present inside polling sites. 31

 Is the polling site itself accessible (ramps, marked parking)?  If polling site is not accessible, is curbside voting being offered?  Is there a working voting machine in the polling site?  Is there a tabletop voting booth (for wheelchair access)?  Are there Braille and large print instructions?  Are voters being given privacy when casting their ballot and being allowed assistance when requested? 32 ACCESS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

 Voters can drop their vote-by-mail ballots off at any polling site in the county  Poll workers should check to make sure the voter signed the envelope  Poll workers can exchange their vote-by-mail ballot for a regular ballot at their polling site  If a voter does not have their vote-by-mail ballot and wishes to vote at their polling site, they will be required to vote with a provisional ballot 33 VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOTS

How to Handle Problems Attempt to resolve with the poll inspector. If poll inspector or poll worker is non- cooperative, you can step away. If you are bilingual and there are no bilingual poll workers, tell poll inspector that you are available to help limited English proficient voters. Fill out an incident report and document the problem with as much detail as possible, including names, times, and helpful identifying information about the voter involved. 34

TALKING TO VOTERS  As voters arrive to vote, greet them and let them know you are a nonpartisan volunteer who is there to help if they have questions or encounter trouble voting.  Be respectful and friendly.  Do NOT engage in any partisan conversation with a voter under any circumstances.  Do NOT identify yourself as a lawyer, law student or paralegal or refer to the voter as a client. If asked, describe yourself as a trained observer. 35

PROBLEM SOLVING AT THE POLLS Questions field volunteers usually resolve:  Registration status (use the San Diego ROV look-up tool)  Polling place location (use the San Diego ROV look-up)  Basic questions about voting with a disability  Basic questions about language assistance  Questions about voter ID requirements  Questions from voters who have moved since registering  Questions about vote-by-mail ballot drop off and exchange procedures  Basic information on provisional ballots Keep notes on your problem solving. 36

Call your team leader immediately if:  Poll workers part of problem  Giving wrong information about ID requirements  Confused about provisional ballot requirements  Machine breakdowns, polls not open or closing early  No language assistance  Accessibility issues for people with disabilities (i.e. voting machine broken)  Questions you can’t answer with the FAQs  Voter Intimidation  When patterns are identified (i.e. a large number of voters being given provisional ballots at a particular precinct)  Any time you need guidance 37 PROBLEMS REQUIRING TEAM LEADER ASSISTANCE

LOGISTICS Figure out with your team leader your polling site assignments and what times you will be there. Get a phone number of your team leader and write it on your materials. Call the team leader when you get to your polling site to check-in; call them when you leave the polling site, too. Bring several Poll Monitor Reports and Voter Incident Reports. Bring multiple pens. Have your cellphone and bring your charger. Do not wear any campaign or partisan shirts, buttons or stickers; do not discuss candidates or ballot measures. Be nonpartisan, polite, professional and calm. 38

A Note About Other Poll Observers Other groups may recruit volunteers and send them to poll sites – for the same general purpose of voter protection or for different purposes: e.g. to ensure integrity of voting machines e.g. to challenge individuals who are believed to be ineligible to vote e.g. to intimidate voters Please call your team leader if you see poll observers engaging in activities that seem intended to keep people from voting. 39

Good Luck and Thank You for Protecting the Right to Vote! ACLU of CA Voting Rights Project 40