California election workers will have the ability to keep their personal information private under a bill currently moving through the California Legislature. Senate Bill 1131, authored by State Senator Josh Newman (D- Fullerton) and co-sponsored by the California Voter Foundation and the Brennan Center for Justice, will allow election officials and their staff to enroll in state address confidentiality programs to shield their personal data from public exposure.
CVF-News
CVF-News is a free, electronic newsletter featuring news and updates about the California Voter Foundation's projects and activities.
Hi Folks,
The California Voter Foundation is hiring!
We have a new, part-time Program Manager position and are looking for someone to join our small but mighty team and help CVF work to make our elections more secure, accessible and supported. Please share with your colleagues and friends and help us grow our team! See this job announcement on our web site for more details.
-- Kim Alexander, President & Founder, California Voter Foundation
Hi Folks,
I'm excited to share the news that the American Academy of Arts and Sciences has released a new report, "The Case for Enlarging the House of Representatives."
This landmark report advocates for expanding the House of Representatives in order to create more equal representation in Congress and in presidential elections for voters living in more populous states. California's voters' voting power is artificially suppressed due to the cap on the size of the House of Representatives, limiting the total number to 435. This cap was established by federal statute in 1929 and can be amended through federal legislative action; no constitutional amendment is required.
Lifting the cap on the House and making the Electoral College more representative is a reform idea the California Voter Foundation has been exploring for a while now. This past June, I gave a presentation to the Alameda County Bar Association entitled, Reforming the Electoral College by Expanding the House of Representatives as part of its Racial Equity Series. We are looking forward to exploring this reform idea further in 2022. I hope you have a chance to check out the new report and tomorrow's web event launch. Details are below. I will be posting on Twitter about this topic under the hashtag #UncaptheHouse.
Also, there is still time to make a year-end donation to support CVF! Please donate if you can, your support is valued and much appreciated.
-- Kim Alexander, President & Founder, California Voter Foundation
Hi Folks,
This edition of CVF-News highlights recent attention on the need to protect election officials and support funding for election administration, as well as an upcoming webinar on election disinformation.
-- Kim Alexander, President & Founder, California Voter Foundation
Little Hoover Commission examines potential recall election reforms
Last week on Oct. 28th, California Voter Foundation board chair, Cathy Darling Allen, who is also the Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters, testified before California's Little Hoover Commission to share the challenges she faced conducting the September 2021 recall election inside a 77-day window. An archive of the hearing is available.
Hi Folks,
The 2021 California Gubernatorial Recall Election is behind us and while vote counting and election verification continues across the state, the result was a decisive defeat of the recall question early on Election Night and Gavin Newsom remains Governor of California.
In addition to conducting numerous media interviews, I co-authored a Sacramento Bee Election Day op-ed with Prof. Mike Alvarez of CalTech explaining why California's election system is secure and how more transparency could help. This edition of CVF-News highlights how CVF and others worked to debunk fraudulent fraud claims, the damage these claims have caused, and what comes next for California's voting and recall processes.
-- Kim Alexander, President & Founder, California Voter Foundation
Hi Folks,
The California Gubernatorial Recall Election is here, and this has certainly been an election like none other. This edition of CVF-News highlights CVF's online voter resources and reviews election security practices, news and claims and CVF's efforts to curtail harmful election mis- and disinformation.
-- Kim Alexander, President & Founder
California Voter Foundation
Find Election Info at Calvoter.org
CVF’s California Online Voter Guide connects voters with information from trusted sources. Through CVF’s online guide, voters can follow the money behind recall campaigns, learn more about potential replacement candidates, get tips on how to successfully cast a vote-by-mail ballot and more. Ballots submitted through the U.S. Mail must be postmarked by September 14th and received within seven days to be counted. Voters choosing to cast their ballot by mail are urged to return it early and avoid having their ballot rejected due to lateness.
Voters looking for reliable information about the upcoming statewide recall election will find it online at www.calvoter.org/covg.
The California Online Voter Guide is a nonpartisan resource designed to help voters make informed choices and produced by the California Voter Foundation for every statewide election since 1994.
Earlier this year, proponents of a ballot question to recall Governor Gavin Newsom were successful in collecting enough signatures to qualify this question for the ballot, with the election date set for September 14th, 2021.
“It is a short but counterintuitive ballot question,” said CVF President and Founder Kim Alexander. “Voters who are for keeping Gov. Newsom in office should cast a 'no' vote on the recall question. Voters who are against keeping him in office should vote 'yes' on the recall question.”
Grant to Establish a U.S. Election Officials’ Support Network
The California Voter Foundation (CVF) announced today it is beginning a new project to develop a nonpartisan, nationwide collaborative initiative of election community leaders to work together to support and defend U.S. election officials and election administration. The project is supported by a $157,000 grant awarded to CVF from Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
“Election officials are the frontline workers of democracy, and they are under attack across the country,” said CVF president and founder Kim Alexander. “We are grateful to Craig Newmark Philanthropies for support at this critical time in U.S. elections.”
Hi Folks,
This edition of CVF-News highlights our new report addressing harassment of election officials and several other related reports and developments that have emerged in the two weeks since our report came out. We deeply appreciate the commitment displayed to shedding light on the threats received by election officials. And we are especially thankful to Craig Newmark Philanthropies whose support made CVF's report possible.
Working on this project has been one of the most challenging and heartbreaking experiences of my career. It has been traumatizing to learn of the pain and suffering so many election officials are enduring in the wake of the 2020 election; I cannot imagine how difficult this is for those who are directly experiencing it.
Funding, education and legal safeguards are needed to protect democracy’s frontline workers
Sacramento, CA -- A new California Voter Foundation report sheds light on the threats and attacks U.S. election officials have endured in the wake of the 2020 election.
“Documenting and Addressing Harassment of Election Officials” features findings gathered through interviews with eleven election officials from six states along with eight of the nation’s leading election experts.
The report finds that ten of the eleven officials interviewed endured death threats, other threats or abusive language. The report is available online at www.calvoter.org/harassment.