CVF in the News

Californians experiencing homelessness have the right to vote. Here’s how it works.

By Chris Nichols, Capital Public Radio, June 3, 2022

Excerpts:

Eligible Californians of all backgrounds — including those experiencing homelessness — can vote in the June 7 primary election. 

Election officials and advocates for unhoused people say it’s not well known that people without a permanent address can register and cast a ballot. But over the past four decades, state and federal courts have ruled that homeless people cannot be denied the right to vote simply because they lack a roof over their head.

The courts have found unhoused residents can register by listing a shelter, landmark, park or street corner close to where they sleep as their address.

Despite the rulings, as few as 10% of homeless people vote in elections, compared with 54% of the country’s voting-age population, according to an article by Dora Kingsley Vertenten, a professor of public policy at the University of Southern California.  

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California Politics: Millions of voters are skipping this election

By John Myers, Los Angeles Times, June 3, 2022

Excerpts:

If California’s statewide primary election feels a little, well, meh in this homestretch of the voting season, you’re not alone.

With only days left for candidates to make their case to voters, most Californians hardly seem to have noticed Tuesday’s contest to winnow the field of state, congressional and legislative candidates down to two finalists. It’s especially noticeable given that there are more opportunities to participate than in any other primary election in the state’s history.

In tracking the return of mail-in ballots, it appears that even a last-minute surge of interest might not keep the June 7 election from landing near the historical low point of voter turnout — in competition with 2014 for the lowest turnout of registered voters in California history.

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How the California Voter Foundation is working to get more people to vote

By KCRA Staff, KCRA, June 2, 2022

Another California nonprofit and nonpartisan organization is working to get more people to vote.

President and founder of the California Voter Foundation Kim Alexnader joined KCRA 3 on Thursday to speak more on what the organization is doing. (Full Video)

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Voter registration for California's June primaries ends tonight

By Staff, KCBS Staff, May 23, 2022

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Kim Alexander: Voters, Ballots and the June 7 Primary

By Capitol Weekly Staff, Capitol Weekly May 23, 2022

Excerpts:

For the upcoming June 7 Primary, California has mailed a ballot to every registered voter in the state. Not every voter will mail their ballot back – some will opt to drop their ballots in person at a voting center, and some voters won’t cast a ballot in the primary at all.

With some 22 million ballots at large, should we be worried about voter fraud? When it comes to ballots and the California election process, Kim Alexander is the person to talk to. Alexander is the President of the California Voter Foundation which she has headed since 1994. Among CVF’s mission goals is advancing voting system security and meaningful auditing of ballots in California and nationwide. 

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Should I vote in California primary? Why your midterm ballot matters in Sacramento County

By Hanh Truong, The Sacrament Bee, May 23, 2022

Excerpts:

It might not be a presidential year, but your vote in the California primary election can affect your daily life.

This year’s June primary in California includes candidates for U.S. Senate, governor, secretary of state, treasurer and influential Sacramento County offices, such as district attorney and sheriff.

In the past two years, people are becoming more aware of the great influence that local governments have over their lives, said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, a non-partisan and nonprofit group that works to improve voting processes. She cited the pandemic and how the county enforced mask mandates, and controversies with police activity and law enforcement interactions with the public.

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Choosing your local and state officials can have a big effect on your quality of life.

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CVF President Kim Alexander on Capital Public Radio's Insight with Vicki Gonzalez

By May 17, 2022

CVF President Kim Alexander joined CapRadio's "Insight" host Vicki Gonzalez to introduce listeners to CVF's new California Online Voter Guide and help voters prepare to cast their ballots in the upcoming June 7, Primary Election. (Listen to interview here) 

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U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla will appear on California’s June primary ballot twice. Here’s why

Once ballots for the June primary election arrive in the mail, California voters might do a double-take when they find two races with Senator Alex Padilla.

By Chris Nicholos, Jefferson Public Radio, May 5, 2022

Excerpts:

Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Padilla in January 2021 to fill Vice President Kamala Harris’ vacant senate seat after she was sworn in to her new White House position.

Californians elected Harris to the senate in 2016, a six-year term that runs through January 2023. But a law signed by Newsom last year prevents Padilla from finishing Harris’ term as an appointed senator.

Instead, he must compete with a slew of other candidates for both the partial term and for a new six-year stint.

Voting experts say there’s nothing wrong with the ballot. It’s just a strange set of circumstances that California voters will be called upon to sort out — both in the June primary and again this fall in the November general election.

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Hearing Tuesday on Bill to Protect Election Workers

By Suzanne Potter, Public News Service, April 25, 2022

Excerpts:

Since 2020, a growing number of election workers have been threatened, harassed, and even spat on - so tomorrow the State Senate Judiciary Committee will hear a bill that would allow them to hide their address from public view. 

Senate Bill 1131 would allow election workers to join the Safe at Home program, which was created 20 years ago to make it harder for perpetrators of domestic violence to track down their victims. Kim Alexander is president and co-founder of the California Voter Foundation, a co-sponsor of the bill

"There are still a number of people who make false claims about the election being stolen," said Alexander. "And the election officials and their staff are on the receiving end of the big lie."

SB 1131 also would change an old state law that required poll workers' names to be posted at polling sites. 

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California lawmakers consider bill to protect poll workers' privacy

By Greg Lee, KTVU FOX 2, April 5, 2022

Excerpts:

With a political landscape that remains polarized and after several examples of harassment, California lawmakers are now considering a bill to protect election poll workers. 

"People who are frustrated with the conduct of election or the outcome of elections, are starting to take it out on the people administering elections," said the author of the bill, State Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton). 

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