Secretary of State Kevin Shelley today announced plans for increased voter education aimed at making sure ballots are cast properly in the October 7 special election. "I want to be sure that voters have every opportunity to become familiar with the voting system in their county," Shelley said. "The unusual features of this election, as well as the use of punch card voting by some of our largest counties and new elections systems in others, means that we need to take extra care to be sure we do things right."
The education effort includes the following:
Visits by state election specialists to each punch card county to assist in educating voters, processing ballots, and avoiding Election Day problems. Punch cards will be used by Los Angeles, Mendocino, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Solano counties.
Easy to follow step-by-step instructions on how to use the voting system in each county posted on the secretary of state's web site, www.ss.ca.gov. On the home page, click the button that reads Statewide Special Election, then click on Questions and Answers, and then select "How do I use the voting system in my county?"
Coordination with county officials to ensure that sample ballots sent to voters in punch card counties emphasize instructions to vote for only one candidate and to thoroughly punch the pre-scored card.
Coordination with county official to ensure adequate voter instruction on the use of new voting systems for the California Governor Race.
Consultation and cooperation with thousands of community based organizations on voter outreach aimed at helping new voters to register and explaining the use of county voting systems.
Preparation of multi- lingual materials to reach California's diverse communities.
Public service announcements to run in all counties in the weeks leading up to the election.
Op-Eds in local newspapers explaining the use of punch card voting and other voting systems.
Election specialists dispatched statewide to assist county officials.
Increased staff at the secretary of state's election hotlines (1-800-345-VOTE and 1-800-232-VOTA) to address voter concerns in the days leading up to the election.
Assistance to counties in recruiting and training poll workers after the California governor race. In addition, Shelley said he would continue to work with legislative leaders to reimburse counties for the increased cost of the special election. "Voter outreach is critical to making the October 7 election go as smoothly as possible," Shelley said. "I want each voter to know how to use the ballot system in their county so that every vote will count."