Registrar of Voters
Election Advisory Committee Meeting and Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee
Friday, July 16, 2021, 9:30 AM
Zoom Meeting
Minutes
The Election Advisory Committee Meeting and Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee met on Friday, July 16, 2021,via Zoom.
The following members of the EAC were present: Greg Brockbank, Robin Diederich, Cathleen Dorinson, Veda Florez, Bonnie Glaser, Anne Layzer, Stephanie McNally, Bob Richard, Cat Woods
The following members of the VAAC were present: Laney Davidson, Suzanne Levine, Fred Nisen and guest Allison Lim, Rafaelle Tellez
Representing the Elections Department: Lynda Roberts, Registrar, Liz Acosta, Elections Sr. Program Coordinator/Voter’s Choice Act Implementation, Greg Hayes, Elections Logistics Manager, Megan Stone, Elections Outreach Manager
Welcome
Lynda Roberts opened the meeting and thanked everyone for attending.
Role of EAC:
- Citizen advisory committee established in 2006
- Acts as a link between the voting public and the Registrar by providing feedback and advice on issues that affect voters in general
Role of VAAC:
- Advisory committee established in 2006
- Includes stakeholders representing the disability community and issues that impact voters with disabilities
- Provide feedback and advice on issues that affect voters with disabilities
The main purpose of today’s meeting is to help draft the Election Administration Plan required for implementation of the Voter’s Choice Act by giving feedback on the working copy.
Once the draft plan is developed, the Elections Department will post it online, including translated copies as required by the Voter’s Choice Act.
We are planning other consultation meetings at the end of the month – information will be posted on our website.
Today’s process:
- Short PowerPoint presentation
- Ms. Acosta will lead the feedback session
- Conclude at 11 a.m. so we have 30 minutes for general committee business
VCA Consultation Session
Ms. Roberts outlined the background of VCA and the intent to modernize elections by sending all active registered voters a mail ballot and replacing one-day polling places with multi-day regional vote centers at which voters may obtain a variety of services.
General Questions
- Will a general overview of VCA be shared with Committee members and the public? Yes, Ms. Acosta is working on resources to be shared on the Department’s website.
- Under VCA, will elections be more expensive? Experiences from counties that have transitioned to VCA show initially elections are more expensive. However, there are cost trade-offs for each voting model. We anticipate cost savings over time.
- How many ballot-on-demand printers will be at each vote center location? The Department has purchased enough printers for two at each vote center plus several back-up units. Some locations may need only one unit.
Ms. Acosta led the committee through a discussion about the Election Administration Plan by asking for input about locations, outreach, and the public input phase after the draft EAP is developed.
Discussion
Locations:
- Consider locations with organizations that are trusted in the community
- Provide access without needing a curbside bell
- Is it harder to get locations for more days? Ms. Ksanda, polling place manager, is working to acquire locations based on the list from the November 2020 election
- Remote Accessible Vote By Mail (RAVBM) will need internet access; consider access for voters near areas without internet access or limited internet access – such as West Marin and the Canal area
- Elections Department works with IT Department to assure connectivity at locations for voter look-up
- Vote centers require three Ballot Marking Devices (BMD)
- Consider distance from vote centers for remote areas in West Marin and farming communities; consider a mobile vote center in the future
- Consider security at locations while considering voters’ right to neutral voting environment
- Vote center will likely be staffed by 10 workers per location
- Drop boxes – consider convenient locations, i.e., near freeways
- Use siting tool operated by Center for Inclusive Democracy at USC (Mindy Romero) found at University of Southern California - Voting Location Siting Tool website and Center for Inclusive Democracy - Marin County specific website.
- We have used census data to help map location; regarding new census date, the EAP has to be revised two years after implementation
Outreach:
- Consider needs of areas without internet service
- Use Marin Post; text messaging; “open source” (DPI)
- Laney Davidson re-engaged the disability access group so she can connect with many organizations; reminder about digital content needs to be accessible
- Include social media images/videos; direct outreach, i.e., door-to-door outreach, tabling; door hangers; peer-to-peer texting and one-way texting; develop FAQ script
- Short videos could be played at movie theaters
- Use events of other organizations
- Send materials to other public agencies; back of bus signage; e-blasts
- Paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram could be effective for young people; commercial TV – coordinate with other Bay Area Counties that are implementing VCA; Comcast and AT&T may sell advertising to specific areas
- Write op ed pieces and news releases
- Pay CBOs to boost social media; use local TV; local radio stations in West Marin, including Spanish language stations; Marin IJ Voices and Views; KWMR morning radio show
Election Administration Plan Public Phase:
- Location of notice on website is good – clarify wording to ensure people understand they can participate; consider providing a direct Zoom link; a registration page may increase participation; provide social media reminders; use a Listserv; disseminate notices through language/disability community newsletters
- Consider having focus groups with community leaders if capacity allows (targeted group with translation services); digital or paper surveys
- Use plain language
- Provide information to local governments
- Consider direct outreach to people
- Send out a flyer to community contacts to pass along; Disability Rights California could help
- Give outreach partners the information so it is consistent (i.e., tool kit); work with organizations such as League of Women Voters to conduct direct outreach, such as door hangers, etc.
- Future voter outreach, including direct mailings, will be specific to the election cycle; active messaging will begin about two months before an election
- Use partners and committees to disseminate information
Miscellaneous Discussion
Ms. Stone reviewed the Student Elections Ambassador Program. The Committee, consisting of members of the Elections Department, League of Women Voters, and Office of Education, worked with former student ambassadors to develop a few promotional videos for the program. The first student training will be held July 29.
Recall Election: Ballots will be mailed starting August 16; we will use traditional one-day polling places. Due to limited time to prepare for the election, we are unable to implement the VCA-like model used in November. The SOS social media outreach is beneficial and includes how to vote the recall ballot.
Ms. Florez reviewed the National Disability Voter Registration Week (NDVRW) activities. NDVRW moved to September to be closer to National Voter Registration Day. This year we will hold a Town Hall Meeting on September 1 with the disability community and distribute a tool kit so they can learn how to hold their own registration events. The goal is to inspire the disability community to participate. An election timeline will be available and information will be distributed with the food bag program.
Five members of the EAC volunteered to work with Dan Eilerman on the redistricting effort.
Meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m. The next meeting of the EAC will be held on
Friday, August 20, 2021.
Next meeting of the VAAC TBD