Voter Registration Training November 2018

Who Can Vote? You can vote in this election if you are: U.S. Citizen Resident of California 18 years old or older on Election Day Not currently in prison or on parole for a felony Not found by a court to be “mentally incompetent” ** Note: you can preregister to vote if you are 16 or 17

Non-Citizen Voting in San Francisco Due to Prop N, some non-citizen parents can now vote in SFUSD Board of Education (school) elections Non-citizens in San Francisco can vote if they are: 18 years old or older Resident of San Francisco Parent/legal guardian of a child (child must be 18 or younger AND a resident of San Francisco) Not currently on parole/not ruled ineligible by court of law ** Any group registering noncitizens to vote in SF should contact Asian Law Caucus for more information

When to Re-Register 1. Move to a new permanent residence. 2. Change name. 3. Change political party choice. There is no “updating” a voter registration. Voters simply fill out a new voter registration form (paper or online).

Voter Registration Reminders You do not need to be a citizen or registered voter to register someone else to vote. If someone wants to register to vote in private (i.e. take the form home), let them. You must provide a voter registration form to anyone who requests one. If the mistake can be corrected/initialed in a way that is legible, then don’t need to use a new form.

Voter Registration No Nos You cannot offer an incentive, prize, a cookie, etc. You cannot influence or tamper with a voter’s party registration. You cannot register someone who you know is not entitled to register (aka noncitizen, on parole, etc.). Offering an incentive/offering to pay someone to register to vote for any election in which there is a federal contest on the ballot is punishable by a fine up to $10k or imprisonment for up to five years or both Tampering with a voter’s party registration can lead to imprisonment for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years or in a county mail for up to one year Registering someone who is not entitled to vote (non citizens, on parole etc) is punishable by imprisonment for up to 3 years or county jail up to 1

Filling Out The Form You can help someone fill out the form. Small mistake? Fix it, then have voter initial. Big mistake or illegible? Use a new form. Write legibly in black or blue ink.

Indicate Language Assistance Does a voter need to speak or read English to register to vote? -> No! State voter registration cards are available in 10 languages Under federal law, some counties offer fully translated materials in the following languages: Cambodian/Khmer, Chinese, Filipino/Tagalog, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese Advise voters to indicate their preferred language if they would like to receive translated election materials Other languages receiving more limited coverage in certain precincts under state law include: Armenian, Farsi, Punjabi, Hmong, Arabic, Syriac, and Ilocano

Box 1: Are you a U.S. citizen? Ask each person when reviewing their voter registration form if they are a US citizen. If they are, make sure the box is checked If they are not, tear up their voter registration form *Note: non-citizens who make a false claim can face potentially serious immigration consequences

Boxes 5-9: Address Home Address: the address where a voter lives Mailing Address: the address where a voter would like to receive election materials P.O. Box and businesses addresses are valid as mailing but not home addresses The voter only needs to provide mailing address if it is different than their home address Don’t forget: Apartment number and county in 5-6

Other Notes on Address Homeless Folks or People Without Stable Housing People without stable housing can use the line underneath home address to describe the location they live College Students College students can register to vote at their school address or non-school address (i.e. parent’s home, etc.) Homeless folks: they must still enter a mailing address where they can receive election materials College students: If they want to register at their non-school address, tell them to use this as their home address, include a mailing (campus) address, and register as an absentee voter

This does not say “city” or “county of birth”! Box 11: Place of Birth U.S. State or foreign country of birth U.S. Born: Print the name of the state or territory. Foreign Born Print the name of the country. Do not abbreviate the name of the country.  This does not say “city” or “county of birth”!

Box 12: Identification Or Information provided is confidential and will only be used for election purposes and will not be printed on any public reports or printed materials. If none of the above can be provided, the state will assign a unique number for voter registration purposes and you may be asked to show ID when you show up at the polls.

Boxes 13 & 14: Email & Phone Optional, but useful. If there is a mistake or omission, the county elections office is obligated by law to reach out to the voter to try and fix. Email/phone are the most convenient ways. - Note, however, that once you provide your phone and email address this becomes public information. Campaigns can access your contact information and you may for example receive robocalls from campaigns.

Box 15: Political Party Preference “No” Party Preference “YES”: Check the box for political party of choice. Only One. Do not suggest a political party Selecting American Independent Party is NOT the same as “independent” Failing to indicate a political party preference means someone cannot vote for a political party at a primary election for President of the US but doesn’t prevent someone voting for candidates for state/congressional office during primaries Only mark ONE item – if a mistake is made, you must fill out a new form Provide the voter straight-forward unbiased info

Box 16: Permanent Absentee Voter (Vote By Mail) Many voters won’t understand this question or miss it. Ask them: “Do you want to vote at a polling place each election (FYI elections will always be on Tuesdays)? Do you want to have your ballot mailed to you so you can fill it out ahead of time and mail it back?” If they choose the second, have them initial the appropriate line.

Box 18: Declaration and Signature Voters commonly miss the signature box often because it is surrounded by legal text. Check! Check date too! Registrant may sign in their primary language, only if all their legal documents are signed as such. Note: If someone is illiterate or unable to sign due to a disability, they can make a mark instead of a signature As an assister, you would still need to indicate this mark counts as the voter’s signature

Voter Registration Assistance Assistance = putting pen to paper or delivering form If you do either, you must fill out BOTH parts of the green box. Assister must fill out the blue box above and below the perforation Answering questions and checking the form for completion do not qualify as “assistance.” Tear off receipt and give to voter to keep.

Almost there! CHECK EVERYTHING People make LOTS of mistakes You must return the form within three business days. Voter receives “proof of registration” card w/i 2 weeks. If you are not being paid by an organization to register someone to vote but are still returning the completed form for them, just indicate your personal phone number/address ID # on receipt matches the ID# underneath the signature

Omissions and Common Mistakes Fill out the form completely Only the following are optional: Forms of address (Mrs., Mr. etc.) Email/phone portion Language preference section Prior registration section Other empty sections may cause delays or rejection of the voter registration. Check for signature and date!! Most common mistake Place of Birth People often list their city of birth but should list the U.S. state or foreign country where they were born. If a mistake is made, however, probably won’t invalidate their registration County Don’t forget to include county in the home address and prior registration sections.

Voter registration cards must be postmarked or delivered in person by: Voter Registration Deadline Voter registration cards must be postmarked or delivered in person by: Monday, October 22, 2018

Same-Day Voter Registration For Madera, Napa, Nevada, Sacramento, and San Mateo Counties, all voting locations (aka vote centers) will offer same-day voter registration after October 22. For all other counties, go to the county elections office for same-day voter registration after October 22. Same-day voter reg = register to vote and vote on the same day! Also known as conditional voter registration (or CVR) VCA: new all vote by mail ballot and vote center model. All registered voters will receive vote by mail ballot automatically Traditional polling places replaced by full service jumbo polling places called vote centers Vote centers offer more services than traditional polling place Conditional voter registration!! Are open for more days before election day (up to 28 days) Can drop off VBM ballot or get a replacement Language assistance/materials, more accessible voting machines

Questions?