CVF in the News

By Alexis Rivas, NBC San Diego, October 2, 2020

On Friday, the San Diego County Registrar of Voters dropped off its first batch of outbound mail-in ballots at the post office.

Chances are good you'll find a ballot in your mailbox next week, but how can you be sure it gets to the right place when you send it back? 

For the vast majority of voters in San Diego County, finding a ballot in their mailbox is nothing new.

“San Diego voters have been used to voting by mail,” said Michael Vu, the San Diego Country Registrar of Voters. “Their preferred method is voting by mail.” 

In fact, 78 percent of San Diego County voters are already permanent mail-in voters. What is new is a way to track your ballot through the entire mailing process – it’s a lot like how you track a package through FedEx or UPS.

“We’ve always provided voters A to Z,” Vu said. “Now voters have the ability to see B through Y.”

It's free, easy and I did it in less than 5 minutes. Here's how:

By Carly Severn, KQED, October 2, 2020

We spoke with Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, about the errors to avoid when filling out your ballot so that you can get your vote on its way to being counted.

And if the news of the president's COVID-19 diagnosis has you wondering about how this will impact the election in general? The honest answer is that nobody quite knows right now. But one thing Alexander wants you to know: giving yourself a deadline for when you want to mail your ballot and working backwards with a plan for when to do your homework and actually fill out your ballot will help. "Your plan may shift, but in times of uncertainty it’s good to have a game plan," she says. Reading this is a great start.

Plan to Send Your Ballot on Time

Before we even talk about what's on the ballot itself, you need to know this: The #1 reason that ballots get disqualified in California is because they aren't mailed on time.

KPCC/LAist October 1, 2020

Things are different and there are questions. We're answering them live. 

The next election is speeding toward us on a runaway train of rhetoric, doubt, and deterrents. 

We have some facts, instead.

Election Day is technically November 3, but early voting starts soon after October 5 when ballots begin shipping out to every active, registered voter in California. 

In L.A., we'll be voting on: the next president of the United States, the head of the largest prosecutor's office in the country, affirmative action, a possible rollback of California Proposition 13, and much more. 

Pressure is high. But it's 2020, so the intensity doesn't end there. The actual process of voting is also different.

You'll be doing it possibly by mail, or at a new vote center, in the time of a historic pandemic, in the midst of a fury over racial inequity and police brutality, while the Golden State burns in the orange glow of climate change. 

By Tim Lantz, KFBK, October 1, 2020

"Voting is challenging for many people, especially during a pandemic," said Kim Alexander, who wrote the song's lyrics and recruited volunteer, professional performers and editors to help record and produce the music video. "We put this song together to give voters a creative and entertaining way to help them prepare to vote with confidence."

As has been the case with CVF election songs in the past, this year's edition uses rhyme and a bit of humor to inform voters about the importance of getting vote-by-mail ballots in on time and remembering to sign their ballot envelope, according to Alexander. 

The election songs are inspired by "Schoolhouse Rock," the 1970's series of children's television shorts that used music and animation to educate a generation about civics, math, and grammar. (Full Video)

By Mina Kim, KQED, October 1, 2020

One of the biggest challenges facing the election this year is simply the process. For the first time ever, all California voters will receive a ballot in the mail. Some voters are concerned their vote may not be counted. On top of that, voters are hungry for trustworthy information about candidates and issues. We take your questions about voting this year with Kim Alexander, president and founder of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation. (Full Audio)

 

October 1, 2020

This non-partisan videos educates California voters on how to ensure their votes are counted, whether the ballots are submitted in person or by mail.

Our advisors will discuss topics such as:

• What happens to an election ballot
• How ballots are counted
• Dispel myths about the balloting process
• Lift the "curtain of mystery" surrounding election procedures

Our speakers are Kim Alexander, President of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, and Hon. Catharine B. Baker, former State Assemblywoman and Special Counsel to Hoge Fenton. {Full Video}

iHeart Radio, September 27, 2020

In today's episode, Kris explains the process for getting propositions on the ballot and why California is unique (Full Audio)

By Tierney Sneed, Matt Shuham, Kate Riga and Josh Kovensky, Talking Points Memo September 25, 2020

Excerpts: 

Our journey through America’s varying levels of pandemic-voting preparedness continues this week with looks at Arkansas, California, Illinois, New Jersey and Vermont.

Every week, we’re looking at what states have done — or not done — to make voting easier during the coronavirus outbreak, where the fights over those moves have been the most contentious, and which states feature the kind of competitive races that could make things extra messy and volatile come November.

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California

If you want to know how serious California’s politicians are about mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic — or at least, how serious they are about looking serious — check out the new bill signed into law on last week: SB 739 makes it a misdemeanor to intentionally mislead Californians about their right to vote by mail.

By John Wildermuth, San Francisco Chronicle September 23, 2020

Excerpt:

California’s youngest voters are three times more likely to have their mail ballots rejected than voters as a whole, a new study has found, highlighting a problem that could grow as more of those inexperienced voters turn out in November.

A study by the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation of three California counties — Sacramento, San Mateo and Santa Clara — found that in the November 2018 election, voters ages 18-24 made up the smallest number of mail voters of any age group, but had by far the highest number of rejections.

“With young and new voters the high rejection rate persists, even though the state has made a lot of changes to bring it down,” said Kim Alexander, the foundation’s president and author of the report.

By Chris Nichols, Capital Public Radio, September 22, 2020

Excerpts:

Tuesday Sept. 22 is National Voter Registration Day, a nonpartisan effort that encourages Americans on the fourth Tuesday of September to get ready for the upcoming election. 

In a statement, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla described the day as “the perfect time to sign up” for the millions of Californians who have yet to register. 

All voters must be registered to participate in the November election, which starts in earnest in California in early October when mail-in ballots will be sent out to all active, registered votersin the state.  

In California, you can register, pre-register (if you are 16 or 17) or check your registration at registertovote.ca.gov. Teens who pre-register will receive a confirmation in the mail once they turn 18 stating their voter registration is now active.  

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