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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 04201984 - X.7 X-7 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: Supervisor Tom Torlakson CCosta �wtr�a Cost 1 DAT1 March 20, 1984 @��Coj* SUBJECT: VOTER REGISTRATION SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION received the attached letter dated February 29, 1984, from Secretary of State March Fong Eu regarding ideas to facilitate the participation of more citizens in elections. - 1 like the ideas contained in her letter and would like to refer this to the County Administrator's Office and County Clerk for a response. -. 1 � 1�' '✓t CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT, YES SIGNATURE,'v / RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATUREIS): ACTION OF BOARD ON March 20 ,19 84 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT IV ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES. AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD. ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. cc: County Administrator ATTESTED County Clerk J.R. OLSSON, COUNTY CLERK AND EX OFFICIO- CLERK/OF THE BOARD 6Y �A. / DEPUTY M382/7-83 MAR i; 7984 I,l O. 4 ef. uhf ��f o Office of the Secretary of State Executive Office (916) 445-6371 March Fong Eu 1230 J Street Sacramento, California 95814 C!(IF ON"'! February 29, 1984 Supervisor Tom Torkakson County of Contra Costa 45 Civic Drive Pittsburg, CA 94565 Dear Supervisor Torkakson: With the 1984 primary and general elections just a few months away, more than five million Californians are eligible but not registered to vote. Helping these citizens to participate in the coming election is, I believe, of mutual concern to us all . I am asking your assistance in an effort which has tremendous potential to aid these Californians in becoming registered voters . Each month a large number of those who are not yet registered are served by local government offices. There is a particularly high number of unregistered voters served by social service agencies. By offering ( voter registration assistance in these agencies we can facilitate the ( participation of many thousands of new voters. Similar efforts have already shown effective results in other states. In New York, during an eight-week trial period last spring ,, more than 42 ,000 new voters were added to the rolls. More than half' of them were registered by agency employees . Indeed, voter registration by public agency employees holds so much promise for'-improving voter participation that the National Association of Secretaries of State recently made it a number one priority. I , along with California Common Cause, the California League of Women Voters , and Human SERVE (a national non-partisan voter registration organization) am asking you to authorize local agency employees , pursuant to Elections Code Section 302(e) , to assist in registering interested citizens to vote. Further, I hope that you will direct local department heads to appoint a liaison who can work with your. local, county,clerk or registrar of voters to help implement such a registration effort. I believe these efforts can be an important tool in reversing the alarming twenty-year trend of declining citizen participation in -elections. I appreciate your consideration of this request and look forward to hearing from you on this important matter of public concern. Sincerely, �•e( ff ilf•�II I� MARCH FONG EU 000217 Secretary of State �.x.11. `. .-. . _ _ ti .r.�;+thy', Xw ` •y.�,: ... ._ _ .:.._ .. A CV i •' _ _ 302. Intent of the Legislature to encourage registration. �i I Is (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that the election board of each county,in i`t� 4 '� order to promote and encourage voter registrations, shall establish a sufficient � ' .. number of registration places throughout the county, and ostitic the county � •^t courthouse, for the convenience of persons desiring to register, to the end that registration may be maintained at a high level. (b)It is also the Intent of the Legislature that county clerks,In order to promote and encourage voter registrations, shall enlist the support and cooperation of interested citizens and organizations, and shall deputize as registrars qualified citizens In such a way as to reach most effectively every resident of the county. -� The persons so deputized shall be permitted to register voters anywhere within the county, including at the places of residence of the persons to be registered., and the county clerk shall not deny deputy registrars the right to register voters C anywhere in the county. ` C (c)It is also the Intent of the Legislature that non-English-speaking citizens,tike all other citizens, should be encouraged to vote. Therefore, appropriate efforts should be made to minimize obstacles to registration by citizens who lack sufficient skill in English to register without assistance. (d) Where the county clerk finds that citizens described In subdivision (c) approximate 3 percent or more of the voting age residents of a precinct,or in the event that interested citizens or organizations provide information which the county clerk believes indicates a need for registration assistance for qualified citizens described in subdivision (c), the county clerk shall make reasonable efforts to recruit deputy registrars who are fluent in a language used by citizens described In subdivision (c) and in English.Such recruitment shall be conducted through the cooperation of Interested citizens and organizations and through voluntarily donated public service notices in the media, Including newspapers, radio, and television, particularly those media which serve the non- English-speaking citizens described in subdivision (c). Deputy registrars so appointed shall facilitate registration in the particular precincts concerned and shall have the right to register voters anywhere In the county. (e) In furtherance of the purposes of this section, the governing board of any county,city, city and count•, district, or other public C agency, may authorize and assign any of its offices or employees`lo SEC6in' deputy"registrars of voters and to register tlralified citizens on aE�Lpremise-�and facilities mmad.ar_.controlled by such public agencies during the regular working hours_of-sych offi.eers or employees;pr`iilded "2�frith the exception of firemen, any compensation to wliic`h said officer or employee maybe entitled in payment for the services of such officer or employee as a deputy registrar may be paid by the anthorlty which appointed such officer or employee as a deputy registrar to the public agency ' which regularly employs such officer or employee. t (f) It is the intent of the Legislature that no limitation be Imposed on the 1.� r number of persons appointed to act as deputy registrars of voters. (Added by Stats. 1976, c. 1275, §12.) .� -4.4- '000.21'- _