2022 Annual Report - Voting
2022 Annual Report - Voting
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Advocacy Victories Voting
2022 Elections in California:
Systemic Advocacy to Improve Election Accessibility and Direct Services to Help Voters with Disabilities Register and Cast a Ballot
Highlights
Restoring Voting Rights for Clients
- DRC successfully helped a voter with a disability under conservatorship get his voting rights restored by the court. We assisted the client with demonstrating to the court that he no longer met the criteria for removing voting rights.
- During the week before the General Election, a Northern California county removed the voting rights of some individuals in jail awaiting trial. We successfully advocated with the county elections office and the Secretary of State to fix this error as soon as possible. We also assisted a voter with a disability in jail with getting his voting rights restored and a ballot delivered to them in jail in time to vote in the election.
“Since DRC’s client wanted to vote during the June 2022 Primary Election and should be eligible to vote, DRC drafted and filed a petition and supporting documents with the Superior Court of California for the County of San Diego in April 2022. DRC’s primary strategy—requesting an order immediately restoring the client’s voting rights on the basis of the papers, without the need for a hearing—was successful; the order was issued the day after the papers were filed.”
– Paul R. Spencer, Senior Attorney in the Voting Rights Practice Group.
– Paul R. Spencer, Senior Attorney in the Voting Rights Practice Group.
DRC award event for outstanding service to voters with disabilities. Staff Paul Spencer and Fred Nisen with members from the Orange County Registrar of Voter's Office
Advocacy During the Election and DRC’s Voter Hotline Successes
- Operated a busy statewide Voting Hotline for voters with disabilities during the Primary Election and General Election.
- Collaborated with voter advocacy groups and county election officials to resolve barriers, deliver election materials, and pick up ballots.
- Created an award for three county elections offices, one advocacy group, and a volunteer that went above and beyond helping us assist voters with disabilities during the General Election.
Accountability for Voters with Disabilities
- Submitted written comments and attended public hearings on updated and amended election administration plans in Voter’s Choice Act counties that impacted voters with disabilities.
- Conducted poll monitoring in San Diego, Alameda, Imperial and San Benito Counties to assess the accessibility of voting locations including curbside voting access.
- Used poll monitoring data from the Primary Election in June to:
- Make San Diego County improve accessible voting machine access at all voting locations before the November Election; and
- Make Alameda County relocate one of its vote centers to a more accessible location.
DRC staff Paul Spencer & Raymond Kwong doing an outreach event in San Diego at an Election Fair.
Outreach & Training
- Drafted and published two publications ahead of the November 2022 General Election on how to create a successful plan to vote & the November 2022 Senate Race.
- Updated one publication on how to request an emergency medical ballot.
- Collaborated with staff from the State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD), the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC), the Arc of California, the League of Women Voters, and advocates from the Disability Organizing (DO) Network to lead training for advocates and community members.
- Topics included: Redistricting process, available voter resources such as the Easy Voter Guide, and ways to get involved in the County Elections planning process.
- Provided multiple “train-the-trainer” presentations to county elections staff on best practices when assisting voters with disabilities.
- Promoted voting resources, important dates, and how DRC could help on social media.
Looking
Forward
DRC will continue to provide leadership and advocacy to improve accessible voting options and ensure all voters with disabilities can fully participate in future elections. We will continue to educate voters with disabilities on their voting rights and provide them with the information they need to have a positive voting experience. We will also partner with other organizations to educate the disability communities regarding voting and submit comments to counties whenever county elections changes may impact voters with disabilities.
