News

California has a new law to protect election workers' privacy

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Election workers experienced a rise in threats and harassment in the fallout from the false claims about the 2020 Presidential Election being stolen from former President Donald Trump.

Two years later, election workers across the country have dealt with all forms of intimidation tactics that make them feel unsafe and unable to do their jobs.

Fewer polling places hurt Black and Latino turnout in 2020. Should California have more in-person voting?

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Shasta County reports possible voter intimidation; California governor signs voting protection laws

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While California voters are about six weeks away from the Midterm Elections, voter and poll worker protections are top of mind in Shasta County as officials warn residents about possible voter intimidation.

Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling Allen sent a notice out Monday to inform the public about potential voter intimidation occurring in the county.

Gov. Newsom signs bill to protect the safety of California election workers

Sacramento, Calif. – Legislation to address the rise in harassment towards election workers was signed into law yesterday by California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Bill to safeguard private information of election workers passed by California Legislature

Sacramento, Calif. – Legislation to address the rise in harassment of election workers was approved by the California State Legislature yesterday. Senate Bill 1131, authored by Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), will protect workers in California by providing them with the option to keep their home addresses confidential. The bill is co-sponsored by the California Voter Foundation and Brennan Center for Justice.

Protecting election officials, legislative round-up & FOCE 2022

Hi Folks,

With the Legislature's last day of session happening today (and the wee hours of tomorrow morning as well) this edition of CVF-News highlights CVF's legislative activities and last month's Future of California Elections conference, where CVF hosted a panel on addressing voting challenges for housing-insecure Californians.

We have also been keeping busy working on addressing threats to election officials and their staff. To help those working to promote peace and security in U.S. elections, CVF has begun tracking stories via our Protecting Election Officials in the News page and have added a Resources for Supporting Election Officials section to our web site highlighting initiatives and tools being provided by caring folks across all sectors.

A few of my favorites are Pam Fessler's Telling our Story via the Elections Group, the Carter Center's Taking Care of Yourself to Serve Others wellness guide, the new Committee for Safe and Secure Elections chaired by former Orange County Registrar Neal Kelley, the Election Infrastructure Initiative to provide federal funding support to local and state election offices, De-Escalation Tools from Princeton's Bridging Divides Initiative, and Building a Resiliency Network from Over Zero.

We are also very close to getting SB 1131/Newman out of the legislature and on to Gov. Newsom's desk. This bill if enacted into law will immediately allow election workers and other California public employees to enroll in Safe at Home to keep their personal information private. More about that below, as well as some reflections and photos from last month's Future of California Elections conference,

I had a wonderful time introducing our new staffer Samantha Abelove to all of CVF's colleagues and friends and spending time with folks in person again. It was a great reminder of the strong community of democracy advocates we have in this state and nation and gives me hope in these challenging times.

-- Kim Alexander, President & Founder, California Voter Foundation

CVF at Future of California Elections Conference in Burbank, July 25, 2022 - L-R: Program Manager Samantha Abelove, Board Chair Cathy Darling Allen, President Kim Alexander, Board Member Mindy Romero, and Vice Chair Susan Roth.

What is the future of California elections?

Join CVF on 7/25 for Future of CA Elections Conference in LA!

Hi Folks,

Please join CVF Board Chair Cathy Darling Allen, our new Program Manager Samantha Abelove, CVF Board Member Mindy Romero and me on Monday, July 25th for the 2022 Future of California Elections conference, taking place both online and in person in Burbank, California. More details are below, I hope to see you there!

-- Kim Alexander, President & Founder
California Voter Foundation

California primary’s lesson for pundits: Don’t speak too soon in the age of mail-in voting

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In the hours after polls closed in the closely watched California primary on June 7, reviews from pundits were quick to come in.

Turnout: abysmal. Progressive reforms: rejected. Ex-RepublicanRick Caruso: the surprise star of the night in liberal Los Angeles.

But with the proliferation of mail-in voting, messages from California voters now arrive with a lag — one that hasn’t proven friendly to the quick takes of social media and cable news.

Election 2022: With turnout so low, why does LA County even have a primary election?

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The June 7 primary in Los Angeles County cost $82.2 million, requiring 12,000 election workers to administer an election in which 597 total candidates were seeking 155 offices with voting taking place by mail at more than 600 vote centers. All this in a county of 5.6 million registered voters.

But there was one missing ingredient — or at least not enough of it, based on the early numbers — in this simmering recipe of democracy: Voters.

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