Melissa Kaplan's
Herp Care Collection
Last updated April 19, 2007

Voter Registration Information

It is your constitutional right to overthrow part of the government every two years...but you need to be registered to vote and cast your ballot. If you don't, you relinquish your right to complain about things you don't like.

©2000 Melissa Kaplan

Our schools do not teach kids about the actual nuts and bolts of voting: the registration process, how residential areas are divided up into precincts, how elections are for far more than electing a new president every so often. When kids graduate high school and are eligible to vote, most haven't a clue how to go about doing so.

I never learned in school, but I did learn from my parents, and from reading the Voter Information booklets sent out by the County Registrar of Voters prior to every election. As the majority of volunteer precinct workers will tell you, most people don't learn, and never learn.

So, this page is not only for disabled people who may not know how they can register and physically vote on election days, but for young adult who is just reaching the age where they are now able to register to vote, and for new citizens who may not have received this information in their citizenship classes. So, if you've ever asked questions like:

• Where do I go to vote?
• Why didn't I get any information from the Registrar of Voters this time?
• Why can't I go into any precinct to vote?
• How come I'm not listed with my new (old) name?
• I moved since the last election - why can't I vote at my old precinct?
• Where do I find my assigned precinct?
• How do I get an absentee ballot?
• What if I got an absentee ballot but I decide I want (or can) go into my precinct and vote?

this page, and the information resources linked to it, is for you. (If you need the answers to these questions now, see Quick Answers to Vexing Voting Questions.)

Disenfranchisement is Not Just a State of Mind
On November 14, 2001, the General Accounting Office released their Voters with Disabilities - Access to Polling Places and Alternative Voting Methods report on polling place and voting equipment accessibility for Americans with disabilities. The report examines state and local laws ensuring accessibility, the proportion of accessible and inaccessible voting sites around the country, and challenges to overcome in improving voter access in the future. Notable facts from the report:

• There are no universal standards for state and local voting accessibility laws and practices

• 16% of all polling places in the contiguous United States have no potential barriers to accessibility

• 58% of polling places have 1 or more potential barriers, while offering curbside voting

• 28% of polling places have one or more potential barriers and do not even offer curbside voting

• None of the polling places visited by the GAO's team on Election Day 2000 had special ballots or voting equipment to allow blind voters to cast a secret ballot.

Prior to the 2000 presidential election, only about 30% of those eligible to vote actually voted. With the events of the past year (2001-2), it will be interesting to see if the turnout at the polls increases and if voter registration increases as those who have always been eligible to register and vote finally start doing so.

The following information, while targeted in part to those who are disabled or otherwise face accessibility hurdles at their assigned polling place, most of the information is applicable to all voters - and all of those who are eligible to vote but haven't registered to do so or who otherwise failed to keep on to of things and so have allowed their registration to lapse.

Disability, Access, and Elections
From the National Organization on Disability (2001): People with disabilities are less likely to register to vote than those without disabilities (62% versus 78%, respectively). Along with the problem of just getting to the polls, many have problems using the voting equipment furnished at polling places, despite the materials provided to and procedures permitted by the precinct workers to assist such voters and any helpers that accompany them. Per NOD's Disability Fact Sheet:

• Despite the fact that 20% of polling places nationally are not accessible to people with disabilities, between 14 and 17 million of these citizens voted in the 2000 presidential election;

• However, 21 million voting-aged citizens with disabilities did not vote.

• There are 24 million registered voters with disabilities. (This comprises people with both noticeable disabilities and invisible ones, including physical, mental, sensory and psychiatric disabilities.)

• 23% of voters with disabilities say that a candidate's disability agenda is their number one priority when selecting a candidate. 48% of voters with disabilities report that disability is amongst the top three or four factors they consider.

• Approximately 2.5 million votes were not counted in the 2000 presidential election due to "voter error". Many of these "voter errors" were made by voters with disabilities who were struggling to vote on inaccessible systems and ballots.

The difficulty of getting to polling places, let alone standing there trying to vote the ballot, is difficult for the frail elderly and for younger persons who have a variety of health problems. For those of us with chemical sensitivities, sporadic and unpredictable energy swings, and orthostatic intolerance, voting becomes a sheer feat of will, despite the fact that polling places are supposed to be handicapped-friendly.

Fortunately, it has become easier to not only register to get an absentee ballot, one can now get a permanent absentee voter status for any reason. This makes life (and voting) a lot easier for college students who are away at school, for people who have to commute long distances to work, working people in general, as well as for those of us who just can't get to the polls on voting day.

The procedures for voter registration, including absentee voter registration, as well as the cut off dates for registration and for requesting absentee ballots or absentee voter status, may vary between states and counties, much of it depending on the degree of automation and staffing the various state and county offices of voter registration and county clerks have available to them. To find out what the key dates and procedures are for your own state, use the table below to go to your state's Secretary of State or voter registration information website.

Voter Registration Information - By State:

If your state still doesn't have online registration or absentee applications, write the Secretary of State for your state and let him or her know that failure to do so restricts access to voting privileges for the homebound ill, elderly, and disabled.

Note: Even if your state has online forms that you can fill out online, you still have to print them out, sign them, and send them to your county's Registrar of Voters office. All registrations require an actual signature at this time. These signatures are kept on file and used to compare against the signatures on the absentee and provisional ballot security envelopes. To make things less confusing, you might want to track down your county's Registrar of Voters website address and bookmark it for future reference. Most Secretary of State voter information sites have contact information and links to the individual county Registrars sites within that state.

Many states are making available online the various booklets about the propositions, candidates, etc., that are normally sent on paper to voter's homes. For those who are chemically sensitive to these papers and inks, the information can now be read or printed out on your own printer from the state's websites. Look for similar information on local ballot measures at your county's voter registrar website.

By law, registrars of voters are supposed to make sure as many polling places as possible are accessible. The problems are that, besides schools, no company, organization, church or other entity is required to make available any of their facilities for polling places. Of those that do, some may be facilities that, by law, have to be wheelchair accessible, but even some of those may have thresholds that don't quite meet the code (in Sonoma County, the precincts' materials include risers for those locations that have problem thresholds). Unfortunately, the Feds and states who make these disability rules ignore the fact that many people who are disabled don't require wheelchairs or walkers and so have problems in locations that otherwise meet the narrow definition of accessible.

Accessibility issues affect more than the disabled. For example, many elderly voters have difficulty walking long distances whose polling places require long walks from what limited parking is available, or even longer walks from a bus stop. In the precinct I work at, we also have a problem with mothers who have no choice but to bring their young children with them, and so are burdened with toddlers and strollers and diaper bags and everything that young mothers encumber themselves with. Voting at our precinct, which is buried in the library of a middle school that is set far back from the street behind two baseball fields on one side, and soccer fields on the other (the other two sides being walled-off housing developments) is difficult for first-timers to find, even with all the signage we are given (which competes on walls already laden with posters and bulletins and projects put up by the teachers and students).

The Registrar of Voters does try to find locations where extra tables and chairs (and bathrooms) are available to the public (if not just the precinct workers) but this is not always possible as locations other than schools are strictly voluntary. Since the state will not permit the country registrars to pay for the use of facilities for precincts, and many churches have started demanding to get paid for such use, it is difficult for registrars to find suitable places that have all the things a desirable precinct needs (adequate parking for the thrice daily "rush hours", adequate space to set up the booths and the tables and chairs required by the precinct workers, and an additional table with chairs for voters, adequate ventilation, restroom facilities for precinct workers (if not for the public), and room for a reasonable flow of traffic and occupancy limits high enough that won't drive the fire marshall crazy when the room gets crowded during the day and evening. If you know a person with a home or business who has desirable space and might be willing to let it be used as a precinct on election days, please have them contact the Registrar of Voter's office in your county. (Sonoma County residents and business owners: contact the Registrar of Voter's office

Absentee Ballots
It used to be that you could only get an absentee ballot if you were going to be away or knew that you would be unable to get to your assigned precinct on election day. If you wanted an absentee ballot, you had to apply for one before every election. Many people forgot, or didn't apply in time, and so ended up not voting. If you don't vote enough times, you get dropped from the list of registered voters. Once that happens, you have to register all over again.

In California, the rules have changed in regards to absentee voting. Now, you can apply for permanent absentee voter status, and you don't have to be sick or out of town or otherwise unavailable. Some people get stressed or are pressed for time when they vote at a precinct, and so prefer the more leisurely pace afforded by being able to vote at home. One can take one's time pouring over the various booklets and other material one has gathered on the different measures and candidates, or can hop online to do some more research, all while sitting comfortably, sipping a beverage, and in general feeling nothing like one does when trying to cram a visit to the precinct while juggling work, appointments, and the kids' carpools and after-school activities.

If you are registered as nonpartisan ("declined to state") in a state with Open or Modified Open presidential primaries, you will receive notice from your county registrar's office 3 months before the election asking you to state which party's ballot you wish to receive in your absentee packet. Not all parties allow nonpartisan voters to do this, and some parties may impose restrictions (such as the GOP not allowing NP voters to get a Republican ballot for the Republican presidential candidates). Check your Secretary of State's website for more information. [California "Decline to State" Information]

Having your cake and eating it, too
If you get your absentee ballot and decide you would like to vote at your polling place, you can still so. A word of warning if you don't want to disrupt the line and spend more time than you need to: BRING YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT AND ITS ENVELOPE WITH YOU! The voter lists given to precinct officers shows which voters were sent absentee ballots. Even if you want to vote in a voting booth, you still need to bring that absentee ballot and blue envelope with you. The absentee ballot must be surrendered before you can be given a new ballot to vote on site. If you don't, when the precinct clerks check you in and see that you were sent an absentee ballot, you will be questioned and have to fill out special forms if you don't bring your absentee ballot and envelop with you, so be prepared!

Accommodations for Disabled Voters
One offering for disabled, or those too frail or weak or otherwise unable to go into a precinct, is curbside voting, especially useful if one's polling place is not "accessible". Park where you can, and either go in and request a precinct officer help you with curbside voting, or have your passenger or driver go in and contact one of the precinct officers. Please try to do this during the slow periods of the day at the precinct, not when there are 50+ people waiting in line to get signed in to vote.

You can bring someone with you to help you with getting situated at the polling place. This person can also help you physically by helping you mark your ballot, help with the materials you brought with you from home, etc. If you need assistance but were not able to bring someone, when you sign in with the precinct officers, tell them that you require assistance. There is a special form that will need your signature, and a precinct worker will be able to help you.

Because of the crowds that fill most polling places in the early morning hours, around lunch time, and again in the late afternoon/early evening hours, if you need special assistance or know you will be taking more time than most people who come to vote, please try to come to the poll during the off hours. You will be able to spend more time, and will be better able to get assistance if you need it. (More information on disabled voter access in Sonoma County...)

If you don't get your completed, sealed and signed absentee ballot in the mail on time, you or someone you designate can drop the ballot off at your precinct or any other precinct. There are some procedures that have to be followed, so you or the person dropping off your absentee ballot will still have to stand in line and complete two line a form.

Important note: You can have a third party deliver your absentee ballot ONLY if you have sealed your completed ballot in the blue envelope and have completed the information requested on the enveloped and signed it where indicated. If you don't, the precinct cannot accept your ballot, nor with the Registrar of Voters.

Speaking of the Registrar of Voters, one can also deliver their completed, sealed and signed absentee ballot to the office of the Registrar of Voters on election day or during the days before. Contact your Registrar of Voters office for more information (helpful hint: don't wait until election day to make that call!).

Voting Reminders
If you will be voting using punch cards, remember to punch each hole cleanly, and remove any hanging chads.

If you will be voting using cards that require you to fill in small boxes, follow the directions given by the precinct worker or on your absentee ballot materials. Use the type of pencil or pen specified. If you do not, your vote may not be counted, especially if your county uses machines to read pencil and pen markings on ballot cards.

The cards used at precincts require the use of the special black markers that the precinct worker will hand you along with your ballot. Stay inside the lines, filling in the box completely. If you mark the box with a dash or an X, your vote may not be counted by the optical scanners that 'read' the ballots. If you have a problem holding the narrow Inkavote pens, ask one of the precinct workers for the foam ball they have on hand; they can slide your pen through the foam ball, making it easier for those of us with arthritis and other grip problems to hold on to and control the pen.

Absentee ballots may require the use of a dark pencil, usually a No. 2 pencil. If you vote an absentee ballot using a ball point pen or other type of pencil, pen or marker, your vote may not be 'read' correctly by the machines that scan and record the marks on the ballot cards.

Many voters review all the information on candidates, ballot measures and propositions long before election day comes. As we read the materials and begin making up our minds how we are going to vote, we make a "crib sheet", or mark up the Sample Ballot that we receive from our County Registrar of Voter's office. We then take the crib sheet or marked up Sample Ballot with us to the poll, and use it as we vote our actual ballot.

Another good reason for keeping your eye on your mailbox for your Sample Ballot is that your precinct number and address is going to be encoded on it, usually near your own name and address. (In some states, the backside of that page is the application for an absentee ballot.) If you make it part of your election & voting routine to mark your decisions in your Sample Ballot, and take it with you on election day, you'll also have your assigned precinct information with you, too, so if you show up at the wrong place, you'll be able to quickly figure out the correct place.

For California Residents
Secretary of State's Voter Information Guide
Secretary of State's General Elections & Voter Information
California Voter Registration Requirements/Online Registration
Sonoma County Registrar of Voters
Other Counties' Registrar Contacts
Certified Lists of Candidates for November 2, 2004 Election
SmartVoter.org > My Ballot ("Find my polling place")

General Election Dates To Know
Last day to register to vote: May 22, 2006
Primary Election: June 6, 2006

Due to the risk of the absentee ballots being delayed when sent by mail to the voter, the Registrar's office will mail ballots out for requests received up through the Wednesday before the election day, giving absentee voters time to receive the ballot, fill it out, and mail it back in or drop it off at a precinct or the Registrar of Voter's office.

Absentee ballots may be picked up from the Registrar of Voters office on election day, up until the time the polls close (8 PM).

IMPORTANT!

If you moved since the last time you voted or since the last election, or you have changed your name, or you want to switch political parties, you must re-register, completing a new Voter Registration Card and sending it in so that it reaches your county Registrar of Voters office at least 15 days prior to the coming election. For the November 2, 2004 election, that means having your card in by October 18, 2004. You can fill and print out the Online Voter Registration form at the Secretary of State's site; you still need to print it out, sign it, and mail it in to your local Registrar.

If you were on permanent absentee status during the last election, and did not mail in your voted absentee ballot, and you did not turn in your absentee ballot and vote in your precinct, you are still registered to vote but have been taken off the Permanent Absentee Voter list. In order to get back on permanent absentee ballot status, you must to once again fill out the form to request permanent absentee status. Fill and print out the Online Voter Registration form at the Secretary of State's site, be sure to select YES for permanent absentee ballot. Once you have filled out the online form, you need to print it out, sign it, and mail it in to your local Registrar.

Open Registration and Department of Motor Vehicles Registration
In the attempt to make it easier to get people to register to vote, changes in recent years have allowed voter registration drives in shopping malls, conventions and other public venues, and when registering a vehicle or getting a new drivers license at the Department of Motor Vehicles branch offices. Unfortunately, the registration cards or data were not always distributed to the county voter registration offices and so people who actually did register never showed up on the records provided to the polling places (precincts), resulting in a lot of confusion, frustration, and people who should have been able to vote not being allowed to.

Didn't Get Your Election Materials?
If you have registered through one of the above types of voter registration drives but did not receive a confirmation notice from your county voter registrar's office, and/or you do not get a sample ballot with your name, address and precinct number and location preprinted on it, call, email or drop in at your county voter registrar's office and get this straightened out before election day!

If you moved but didn't file a change of address with the Registrar of Voters, you will not receive your election materials. If you moved not too far away from where you previously lived, don't assume that you are still registered in the precinct you used to vote at. Chances are, you aren't. Precincts move to different locations. A precinct in one place this year may be in another place next year, with a different precinct in its old place. If the population growth in an area exceeds a precinct size, the precinct boundaries will be redrawn to keep the number of registered voters in the 700-800 range that a single precinct can handle in their 16 hour day, 14 hours of which are filled with processing voters coming in to vote. One of the pieces of information on your sample ballot is the number and address of your precinct (AKA polling place). If you lose it, or don't get it, you need to contact the Registrar of Voter's office and find out where you belong:

In short, you need to re-register if you:

• move

• change your party affiliation

• change your name

To re-register, you can go in person to the Registrar of Voter's office, or do it online.

You cannot:

• vote if you aren't registered

• walk into just any polling place and vote

• walk into what should be your polling place and vote if you aren't registered

• make a difference if you don't vote

Be Part Of The Process: Volunteer!
In the months leading up to and after every election, the registrar of voters' could not get the tremendous amount of work done on time without the help of volunteers. In addition to the volunteers working for months behind the scenes, additional volunteers, those working at all the polling places, play an integral part of the process on election day.

An increasing trend over the past several years is that, In many places, there are fewer precincts (polling places) because there simply are not enough people volunteering to work at them or people or businesses volunteering space for them. If you can get the time off work (in the case of some private employers, and some city, county and federal employees, you may be able to get paid time off or use a vacation day), please consider doing so. In California (I do not know about other states), inspectors currently get $100 (unless they are county employees) plus mileage, and clerks $75. Okay, this works out to less than minimum wage, but those who volunteer aren't doing it for the money, but to give something to their community and assist in the process that we Americans defend the world over: the right to vote in open elections.

To volunteer, contact your county Registrar of Voter's office. In Sonoma County, residents can check the Registrar of Voter's Volunteer page for information.

Find out what happens to absentee and provisional ballots after they are cast...

Voter/Election Information Sites

Other Voter Registration Information
Federal Voter Assistance Program for Uniformed and Overseas Citizens
League of Women Voters

California
League of Women Voters: Sonoma County (Other Counties)
SmartVoter.org > My Ballot ("Find my polling place")

General Information (Candidates, Measures, etc.)
League of Women Voters' (LWV): SmartVoter.org, DemocracyNet
National Mail Voter Registration Form (not accepted by all states)
NOD's 2004 Presidential Candidates Speak Out on Disability Issues
Voter Information Service
Vote-Smart.org

Other
Listing of California's Counties' Website
Responsible Choices
Humor/Though Provoking: Vote Quotes

Disability and Voting Access
AAPD Access the Vote
National Organization on Disability (NOD)

Find your Secretary of State website for your state
Go to www.sos.state.xx.us, replacing the xx with your state's two letter postal abbreviation. If that doesn't work for you, go to your state's site (www.state.xx.us) and use the link there to the Secretary of State's page.

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