tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38740825050820391662024-03-13T06:58:04.051-07:00Kim Alexander's WeblogWhere else will you find election reform, gluten-free beer, music and campaign finance disclosure discussed all in one place? Contact Kim via email at kimalex at calvoter dot org.Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.comBlogger734125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-51787518690773114142017-12-07T16:02:00.000-08:002017-12-07T16:02:03.596-08:00Women in the State Senate circa 1991<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Sexual harassment at California’s State Capitol has been in the news for months now. </span><br />
<img alt="Screen Shot 2017-12-07 at 8.40.17 AM" class=" wp-image-62 alignright" data-attachment-id="62" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Screen Shot 2017-12-07 at 8.40.17 AM" data-large-file="https://kimalexnet.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/screen-shot-2017-12-07-at-8-40-17-am.png?w=353&h=217?w=412" data-medium-file="https://kimalexnet.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/screen-shot-2017-12-07-at-8-40-17-am.png?w=353&h=217?w=300" data-orig-file="https://kimalexnet.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/screen-shot-2017-12-07-at-8-40-17-am.png?w=353&h=217" data-orig-size="412,253" data-permalink="https://kimalexnet.wordpress.com/screen-shot-2017-12-07-at-8-40-17-am/" height="245" sizes="(max-width: 353px) 100vw, 353px" src="https://kimalexnet.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/screen-shot-2017-12-07-at-8-40-17-am.png?w=353&h=217" srcset="https://kimalexnet.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/screen-shot-2017-12-07-at-8-40-17-am.png?w=353&h=217 353w, https://kimalexnet.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/screen-shot-2017-12-07-at-8-40-17-am.png?w=150&h=92 150w, https://kimalexnet.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/screen-shot-2017-12-07-at-8-40-17-am.png?w=300&h=184 300w, https://kimalexnet.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/screen-shot-2017-12-07-at-8-40-17-am.png 412w" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #444340; display: inline; float: right; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1.6em; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I have worked in and around the Capitol for decades, beginning with my stint as a Senate Fellow in 1989-90. In that role, I had the opportunity to interview all five women who served in the State Senate at that time. The stories they told paint a picture of an institution that was beginning to transition from a “good old boy’s club” to something else. I compiled their stories into an article, “<a href="https://kimalexnet.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/women_in_senate_snr_19911.pdf" target="_blank">At the Gates of Power</a>” published in the Sacramento News and Review in March 1991 and <a href="https://kimalexnet.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/women_in_senate_snr_19911.pdf" target="_blank">republished here</a>.</span>Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-63000039005406122842017-08-17T08:16:00.003-07:002017-08-17T08:17:36.798-07:00Media Tips for Election Reform AdvocatesI'm giving a presentation today to participants of the <a href="https://electionverification.org/" target="_blank">Election Verification Network</a> about how to work effectively with the media - have a look at my tips here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.calvoter.org/issues/votereng/advocacy/2017-18/CVF_Media_Tips_Presentation.pdf">http://www.calvoter.org/issues/votereng/advocacy/2017-18/CVF_Media_Tips_Presentation.pdf</a>Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-48430192028573375332017-08-17T07:57:00.000-07:002017-08-17T07:57:37.179-07:00Learn more about Sacramento County's plans to implement vote centersI've been keeping busy recently with Sacramento County's implementation of the Voters Choice Act. Check out this week's CVF-News for more details: <br />
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<a href="http://www.calvoter.org/news/cvfnews/cvfnews081517.html">http://www.calvoter.org/news/cvfnews/cvfnews081517.html</a>Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-55558361869486774172017-03-31T12:29:00.000-07:002017-03-31T12:29:14.558-07:00New Report Sheds Light on Chronic Under-funding of CA ElectionsFor a while now I've been focused on the chronic lack of funding for election programs and have come to view its absence as the root barrier in the way of many improvements election reform advocates like myself would like to see.<br />
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Yesterday I went to the State Capitol to attend and testify at a hearing of the Senate's budget subcommittee where this issue was taken up.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tLKTX25EXEM/WN6ps8BhG5I/AAAAAAAAAWE/9DPHDjOFFJkMisoGg7b4Eqhkh4aMC7fCgCLcB/s1600/IMG_0787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tLKTX25EXEM/WN6ps8BhG5I/AAAAAAAAAWE/9DPHDjOFFJkMisoGg7b4Eqhkh4aMC7fCgCLcB/s400/IMG_0787.jpg" width="400" /></a>Since 2011, the state has shut down funding for state-mandated election program. These programs resulted from laws passed by the state requiring counties to provide services to California voters, like the option to vote by mail.<br />
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A <a href="http://www.dof.ca.gov/Reports/Other/documents/Elections_Mandates_Survey.pdf" target="_blank">recent survey by the state's Dept. of Finance</a> found that counties continue to perform the mandated duties even though they are no longer getting reimbursed for them.<br />
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CVF's <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/issues/votereng/advocacy/2017-18/CVF_Election_Mandates_Support_Letter_Senate_March_2017.pdf" target="_blank">letter to the California State Senate asking that funding for election mandates be restored to the state budget</a> outlines the impact this ongoing lack of funding has had on California voters. Here's an excerpt:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">In lieu of funding support for election mandates for the past six years, the Legislature has instead
chosen to pass optional laws that allow counties to provide certain voter services and programs </span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">but
do not require them to do so</span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">. This pattern of lawmaking creates tremendous inequality in voter
services and experiences and undermines all California voters’ constitutional right to equal
protection under the law. Counties that have more resources are able to provide additional voter
services such as early voting, postage paid vote-by-mail envelopes, and voter outreach programs
while counties with less revenue do not. CVF’s analysis of county budget data collected by the
California Association of Clerks and Election Officials found that in November 2014, the amount of
money counties spent on elections varied from as low as $0.85 to nearly $11 per voter. </span></blockquote>
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At yesterday's Senate's budget subcommittee hearing, the state Legislative Analyst's Office presented a new report, <a href="http://www.lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3634" target="_blank">Considering the State's Role in Elections</a>. It's an excellent compilation of what's been happening in California election administration funding.<br />
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This map of the state from the LAO report shows very clearly how voter registration is higher in the wealthier, coastal areas of our state and lower in inland locations like the Central Valley and Inland Empire. While there are surely a number of factors that impact voter registration rates, varying resources at the county level to encourage participation is certainly one of them.<br />
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The LAO report also provides a nice summary of Senate Bill 450 (the "Voters Choice Act of 2016") and the numerous regulations underway right now that the Secretary of State's office.<br />
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My favorite part of the report, though, is this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="border-bottom-left-radius: 0px !important; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-left-radius: 0px !important; border-top-right-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-bottom-left-radius: 0px !important; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-left-radius: 0px !important; border-top-right-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><em style="border-bottom-left-radius: 0px !important; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-left-radius: 0px !important; border-top-right-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; box-sizing: border-box;">County Administration Yields Significant Benefits to the State. </em></span>The state derives significant benefits from county administration of elections. These benefits include relieving the state from organizing thousands of local government elections as well as the elections for California’s members of Congress, the State Legislature, other statewide positions (like the Governor and Secretary of State), and statewide initiatives. In fact, in many elections, state issues make up the majority of the ballot. While the state reaps regular benefits from county elections administration, it only sporadically provides funding to counties for elections activities. Counties (and other local governments) generally bear elections’ costs without regular support from the state. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border-bottom-left-radius: 0px !important; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-left-radius: 0px !important; border-top-right-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><em style="border-bottom-left-radius: 0px !important; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px !important; border-top-left-radius: 0px !important; border-top-right-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; box-sizing: border-box;">Effective Elections Administration an Important State Interest.</em></span> The state has a clear interest in secure and timely elections. Moreover, some level of uniformity across counties in elections administration is valuable. Many legislative and other voting districts span multiple counties. Significant variation in elections procedures across counties could have implications for voter turnout, and by extension, election results.</span></div>
</blockquote>
The report suggests a block grant approach, which is something I've been working on with some fellow advocates for the past year. We have a proposal in development that we will be sharing soon. In the meantime, CVF will continue to work to restore the election mandates funding. Please contact me if you want to get involved!<br />
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Thanks to Guy Marzorati at KQED for writing this story, <a href="https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/03/30/report-state-still-short-changing-counties-for-election-costs/" target="_blank">Report: State Still Short-Changing Counties for Election Costs</a>, covering this important subject.<br />
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<br />Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-44461332095711006182016-10-21T16:38:00.000-07:002016-10-21T17:25:27.239-07:00Top Ten Online Resources for California VotersCalifornia voters are facing a very long ballot this election, but fear not! There is an amazing amount of user-friendly information online. This list will help you find the best of the best, whether you are looking for answers to basic voting questions or need a deep dive into the candidates and ballot propositions.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S8E5IV96r5g/WAqfYfLwu0I/AAAAAAAAAVY/TbY7phhzjcYxOKUnr0VM63fqyF8rSpk_gCLcB/s1600/VIG_Nov_2016.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S8E5IV96r5g/WAqfYfLwu0I/AAAAAAAAAVY/TbY7phhzjcYxOKUnr0VM63fqyF8rSpk_gCLcB/s200/VIG_Nov_2016.png" width="156" /></a><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>1.</b></span> <b><span style="color: #990000;">California Secretary of State</span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.sos.ca.gov/">www.sos.ca.gov</a> <br />
The Secretary of State is the chief election officer and publishes the official state <a href="http://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/" target="_blank">Voter Information Guide</a>, where you can access the text, fiscal analysis and pro/con arguments for the 17 ballot propositions. A new feature is the <a href="https://quickguidetoprops.sos.ca.gov/propositions/2016-11-08" target="_blank">Quick Guide to Props</a>, in partnership with Maplight, with links to help voters follow the money and find out who's funding the proposition campaigns. You can also <a href="http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/cavoter/" target="_blank">check your voter registration status</a> or complete an <a href="http://registertovote.ca.gov/" target="_blank">online application to register</a> or update your registration record (Oct. 24 is the deadline). Some resources like online registration and the voter information guide are available in nine other languages in addition to English.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>2.</b></span> <b><span style="color: #990000;">Voters Edge </span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.votersedge.org/ca">www.votersedge.org/ca</a> <br />
Two nonprofits - the League of Women Voters of California <br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sypFyDb2YGg/WAqdMjA3PSI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/Z4jiYIdM2ss0WXxwLOmLkk8INcWgHLuBwCLcB/s1600/Voters_Edge.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sypFyDb2YGg/WAqdMjA3PSI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/Z4jiYIdM2ss0WXxwLOmLkk8INcWgHLuBwCLcB/s1600/Voters_Edge.png" /></a></div>
and Maplight - teamed up to give voters this state-of-the-art tool you can use to look up every contest on your ballot and drill down to get detailed information like candidate statements, donor information and news articles. You can also select and save your ballot choices. Much of the site is available in Spanish as well. This site is especially useful when researching "down ballot" local contests for which voting information is often difficult to find.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/---8N-y-GFGk/WAqaLbVe5kI/AAAAAAAAAU0/1uBdj5NnKHUho58nho3ERI3McMuxKj15QCLcB/s1600/Prop_song_image_for_release.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/---8N-y-GFGk/WAqaLbVe5kI/AAAAAAAAAU0/1uBdj5NnKHUho58nho3ERI3McMuxKj15QCLcB/s200/Prop_song_image_for_release.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>3.</b></span> <b><span style="color: #990000;">California Voter Foundation</span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.calvoter.org/">www.calvoter.org</a><br />
CVF's site is home to the <a href="http://calvoter.org/voter/elections/2016/general/index.html" target="_blank">California Online Voter Guide,</a> providing comprehensive information on all state and federal contests in California, as well as deep links to additional resources. Highlights include CVF's <a href="http://calvoter.org/voter/faq.html" target="_blank">Voting FAQ</a> and the <a href="http://calvoter.org/voter/elections/2016/general/props/propsong/index.html" target="_blank">2016 Proposition Song,</a> an impartial, rhyming overview of all 17 propositions delivered in just five minutes. Be sure to sing along!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">4.</span></b> <b style="color: #990000;">County Election Offices </b><br />
<a href="http://www.calvoter.org/voter/government/ceo.html">http://www.calvoter.org/voter/government/ceo.html</a> <br />
Most questions voters have about voting and registration are best answered by their local registrar of voters, especially because election practices and procedures vary from county to county. CVF's site provides a directory of all 58 county election offices with contact information for each county and links to lookup tools voters can use to check their registration and ballot status, access their sample ballot or find their polling place.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">5.</span></b> <b><span style="color: #990000;">California Choices</span></b><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iBr941_4eDo/WAqao0Ar1uI/AAAAAAAAAU4/-k8BInyvnKYMTXrkasLsvZR-KUMOGthzgCLcB/s1600/CA_choices_image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iBr941_4eDo/WAqao0Ar1uI/AAAAAAAAAU4/-k8BInyvnKYMTXrkasLsvZR-KUMOGthzgCLcB/s200/CA_choices_image.png" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.californiachoices.org/">www.californiachoices.org</a> <br />
A project of the nonprofit Next10 and UC Berkeley's <br />
Institute for Governmental Studies, this site is a must-visit for voters looking for a quick way to sort out which groups are supporting or opposing each proposition. It provides endorsements from a range of organizations as well as labor unions and political parties. A great shortcut for busy voters!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">6. </span><span style="color: #990000;">P</span></b><span style="color: #990000;"><b>ublic Media Guides</b></span> <br />
Many public and non-profit news organizations are providing outstanding web resources this election. <a href="https://calmatters.org/elections/" target="_blank">CalMatters</a> covers all 17 propositions, as does <a href="http://elections.kqed.org/measures" target="_blank">KQED's Election Guide</a>. A collaboration of four California public radio stations, <a href="http://www.capradio.org/news/project/2016/california-counts/" target="_blank">California Counts</a> provides in-depth coverage of election issues and contests and also KPCC's <a href="http://www.scpr.org/topics/human-voter-guide" target="_blank">Human Voter Guide</a>, answering actual questions from California voters.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>7. </b></span><b><span style="color: #990000;">SeePolitical </span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.seepolitical.com/">www.seepolitical.com</a> <br />
The folks at SeePolitical have created an entertaining and <br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_pCKC4eQBvk/WAqb9WN79yI/AAAAAAAAAVE/3TRlTjTDBg8hvDKbGkxuR5CNty3Q7XxpwCEw/s1600/SeePolitical.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="63" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_pCKC4eQBvk/WAqb9WN79yI/AAAAAAAAAVE/3TRlTjTDBg8hvDKbGkxuR5CNty3Q7XxpwCEw/s200/SeePolitical.png" width="200" /></a></div>
informative set of videos about the California propositions, animated and designed to engage voters visually. They are a great resource for voters looking for an alternative to text-based voting information. These videos have been translated into Spanish as well and are a great tool to use in classrooms or to show during an election house party.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">8.</span></b> <b><span style="color: #990000;">Easy Voter Guide </span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.easyvoterguide.org/">www.easyvoterguide.org</a> <br />
A project of the League of Women Voters and the California State Library, this guide is a great alternative to the 224-page Voter Information Guide! <br />
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Written at a 4th grade reading level, this guide is helfpul for all voters who want a simple explanation of the ballot and propositions. It's available in print, online and in five languages.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">9.</span></b> <b><span style="color: #990000;">FPPC's Top Ten Donors</span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.fppc.ca.gov/transparency/top-contributors.html">http://www.fppc.ca.gov/transparency/top-contributors.html</a><br />
Voters wanting to find out who's funding initiative campaigns can use the California Fair Political Practices Commission's Top Ten Donors site to do their homework. If a top donor is getting money from other sources, the FPPC helps you drill down and see who their actual donors are. It also shows if donors are in-state or out-of-state.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>10.</b></span> <b><span style="color: #990000;">Google </span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.google.com/">www.google.com</a> <br />
Google has collected essential voting information for all 50 states. If you type a voting-related question into Google, the site will likely answer it straight up, rather than just show you pages related to the question.<br />
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A few other suggestions: it can be helpful to look at the voter guides put out by political organizations. For example, the left-leaning Courage Campaign offers a <a href="https://couragevoterguide.org/" target="_blank">Progressive Voter Guide</a>; while on the other side of the spectrum, the <a href="http://www.hjta.org/hot-topic/ballot-recommendations-2/" target="_blank">Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association</a> has its own recommendations. Whether you agree or disagree, seeing these guides from groups with an agenda can help you make informed choices.<br />
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There are some other creative resources out there to recommend as well. The <a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-all-the-california-and-l-a-ballot-1474499991-htmlstory.html" target="_blank">Proposition Haikus</a> is a short and sweet overview of all 17 propositions. A newcomer this election is <a href="http://www.ballot.fyi/" target="_blank">Ballot.fyi,</a> created by a group of citizens in the San Francisco Bay Area to provide a concise, nonpartisan review of each proposition. The site is beautifully designed, engaging and smartly-written.<br />
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If you want the back-story on a proposition, try <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/California_elections,_2016" target="_blank">Ballotpedia</a>. A few other helpful news resources: the <a href="http://voterguide.sacbee.com/build.do" target="_blank">Sacramento Bee's Voter Guide</a> and the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-pol-ca-propositions/" target="_blank">LA Times' Guide to the Propositions</a>.<br />
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Happy surfing!<br />
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<br />Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-8065222147241397782016-10-06T16:35:00.000-07:002016-10-06T16:35:17.819-07:00Now Playing! The 2016 Proposition SongEvery election could use a song, especially this one.<br />
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To help Californians prepare to vote on a whopping 17 propositions, I wrote a new <a href="http://calvoter.org/voter/elections/2016/general/props/propsong/index.html" target="_blank">"Proposition Song"</a>, performed with several friends around Sacramento and recorded and produced into a music video.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oaBjHhn4qco/V_beyGTp9NI/AAAAAAAAAUc/g8rZamm5czEakq6PgoMPa7s7YXMok3B2gCLcB/s1600/PropSong_Players_2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oaBjHhn4qco/V_beyGTp9NI/AAAAAAAAAUc/g8rZamm5czEakq6PgoMPa7s7YXMok3B2gCLcB/s320/PropSong_Players_2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It's a big project made easier with the help of numerous people who volunteer their time and talent. Hats off to this year's Proposition Song Players - Jeff Bruner, Tim Onorato, Carl Salmonsen, Lou Galgani and Bob Keller.<br />
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Big thanks also to Steve Anselmino who used his magical video editing skills to pull the music video together. Our sound engineer, Flyin' Cowboy, spent hours recording and editing the song. Dan Perlea, a professional photographer, volunteered to shoot our performance videos in front of the State Capitol.<br />
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The first Proposition Song debuted in 2000; this year's makes the seventh song I've put together and produced on behalf of the California Voter Foundation. It is a super fun project and I appreciate the chance to blend my love for folk music and jamming with my love for voting and democracy. If you'd like to see past songs, <a href="http://calvoter.org/issues/votereng/propsong/index.html" target="_blank">we have collected them all on the CVF site here</a>.<br />
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So please watch, listen and most importantly sing along! Those who want to play and perform the song are welcome to do so and can access an MP3 of the song, as well as lyrics and chords and the news release, on the <a href="http://calvoter.org/voter/elections/2016/general/props/propsong/index.html" target="_blank">song home page</a>.<br />
<br />Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-25105742393972929402016-10-06T16:30:00.001-07:002016-10-06T16:30:33.368-07:00Now Playing! The 2016 Proposition Song<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yizO7L2J7LU" width="480"></iframe>Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-81846777205420169642016-08-22T13:28:00.001-07:002016-08-22T13:31:18.164-07:00The Secrets to Jam Session SuccessI recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by the UK-based website Musical U, and shared my philosphy and ideas about participating in music jams. You can read the entire Q&A article at <a href="http://www.easyeartraining.com/learn/secrets-jam-session-success-kim-alexander/">http://www.easyeartraining.com/learn/secrets-jam-session-success-kim-alexander/</a>.<br />
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Next week I will be heading to Tuolumne for the <a href="http://www.strawberrymusic.com/" target="_blank">Stawberry Music Festival</a> where I will once again be teaching my "Learn to Jam!" workshop and sharing my 20 tips for jamming etiquette, or "jamiquette" plus offering my Pete Seeger-inspiried "Learn to Jam!" pamphlet to festival goers.<br />
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An <a href="http://kimalex.blogspot.com/2014/01/learn-to-jam-20-tips-for-making-music.html" target="_blank">easier-to-read version of these 20 Jam Tips</a> is available via my blog.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ygZC-jaTcw/V7tftihek2I/AAAAAAAAAT8/V1e1FgShAvQ6gvsdMgJUCTdAwXvR2F6FQCLcB/s1600/JamPoster_web_reduced_size.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ygZC-jaTcw/V7tftihek2I/AAAAAAAAAT8/V1e1FgShAvQ6gvsdMgJUCTdAwXvR2F6FQCLcB/s640/JamPoster_web_reduced_size.jpg" width="413" /></a></div>
Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-82007312852968380152016-06-11T18:13:00.001-07:002016-06-17T14:17:39.463-07:00How Was Your Election Day?<br />
I have heard many stories from voters who had or witnessed challenging and difficult voting experiences last Tuesday and also a number of reported problems with voting technology on Election Day.<br />
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Many pollworkers have also written to the California Voter Foundation to express the probems they encountered.<br />
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If you have a story you want to share, good or bad, please post the details in the "Comments" section of my blog. Please include your name, and the city or town and county where your experience took place. I will review these comments before allowing them to be visible on my blog.<br />
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If you just want to share your story and keep it private, or if you want your post to be anonymous let me know. Please note that I will not post your comment if it doesn't have a name or email address I can use to verify the story.<br />
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You can also email your stories directly to me at kimalex - at - cal voter - dot - org.<br />
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Here are some of the stories I have heard so far.<br />
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SAN MATEO<br />
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News organizations reported that 140 electronic voting machines in about 10 percent of the county's polling places were not operating due to a coding problem that prevented the machines from contacting the central system. The county sent out technicians to fix what was described as a "glitch" and election staff stated the machines were operating again within an hour and a half. The pollworkers reportedly passed out paper ballots while the voting machines were offline.<br />
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More at <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_29988816/san-mateo-county-elections-officials-switch-paper-ballots">http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_29988816/san-mateo-county-elections-officials-switch-paper-ballots</a><br />
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LOS ANGELES<br />
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Various problems were reported in Los Angeles, the state's most populous county.<br />
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There was a systemwide voting equipment problem in the county's 4,000+ polling places. The machine used to check for overvotes required a password that pollworkers had not been provided. Pollworkers preparing to set up polling places for a 7 a.m. opening were instead calling the county election office trying to learn the password. Then they could not get through because thousands of people were trying to call the hotline simultaneously. It was reported that by 7 a.m. the county had issued a notice to all the polling sites with the needed password. The scanner wasn't critical to the voting process but pollworkers weren't provided with a contingency plan and the glitch delayed the opening of all the county's thousands of polling places on Election Day.<br />
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More from the LA Times here: <a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-voting-problems-20160607-snap-htmlstory.html">http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-voting-problems-20160607-snap-htmlstory.html</a><br />
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And here is a message from one LA County pollworker who contacted me:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: x-small;">On Tuesday I was a pollworker at a combined precinct location in Chatsworth, California. None of the three precincts were able to get their voting machines operating promptly due to an "enter password" message. No password had been required in the past and no mention of it was included in the County training or in the manuals. The telephone lines were jammed so no immediate help was available to us. The County finally sent out a broadcast voice message about 7:00 a.m. (about the time the polls were to open) to all the Inspector mobile telephones with the password. It can take ten minutes to initialize and set up the machines so this was unacceptable error by the County of Los Angeles and should be investigated. Apparently thousands of the 4,698 precincts had a similar problem.</span></blockquote>
KPCC Radio in Pasadena took lots of calls from confused and upset voters - so many that they have decided to hold a forum where voters can come and talk about their voting experiences. It will take place at KPCC's auditorium in Pasadena 7:30 - 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 13 - register online at <a href="http://www.scpr.org/events/2016/07/13/2023/hack-the-vote-making-voting-easier">http://www.scpr.org/events/2016/07/13/2023/hack-the-vote-making-voting-easier</a> .<br />
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STATEWIDE<br />
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The Election Protection coalition issued a news release on Election Night summarizing problems voters reported to its hotline from a number of states on June 7. As their news release notes, more than half the calls they took came from California voters. The release details specific problems in Los Angeles and Contra Costa counties and is online at <a href="http://www.866ourvote.org/newsroom/releases/june-7-presidential-primary-elections">http://www.866ourvote.org/newsroom/releases/june-7-presidential-primary-elections</a>.<br />
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<br />Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-55778609924345896872016-06-06T17:17:00.001-07:002016-06-06T17:17:49.735-07:00Top Ten Online Resources for California VotersHere's a <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/news/releases/060316release.html" target="_blank">list of the top ten sites the California Voter Foundation recommends</a> to help voters get ready <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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to vote on June 7.<div>
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Whether you need to look up your ballot, verify your registration status, find your polling place or follow the money, these sites will help you vote with confidence!</div>
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Polls are open 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Remember if you have a mail ballot but need to replace it, you can do that at your polling place on Election Day.</div>
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Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-38911140777172439202016-04-20T16:56:00.001-07:002016-04-20T17:00:16.682-07:00Ten Things to Know About California's Primary<div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0px;">
I'm happy to introduce <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/news/releases/tenthings.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Ten Things to Know About California's Primary</span></a>, a list of ten tips for voting in the upcoming June 7th election.</div>
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One of those tips is to encourage California's independent voters to verify they are registered as "no party preference" and not accidentally registered with the American Independent Party (AIP). </div>
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A Los Angeles Times survey of 500 AIP voters found nearly three in four did not know they were registered with the party. The <a alt="http://static.latimes.com/american-independent-party-california-voters/?utm_source=042016_CVF-NEWS&utm_campaign=CVF-NEWS_042016&utm_medium=email" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BqoFh3TI-haLBanFi4RZ7FnJMtRG2qySQcO-QfdeMqR7y996F8IX6LkDzkl827KqlrwTH4ARxr5Wmm2huOLwqs98OoCQPjSGfNo5iLY0bAgf8DpEzQZP8Zbz_iKeayw5i_p9Ejh2_ELdRhDcgplpfLiiwrNHWk3ANl5BvFVbky6Jqy71mulDXMFGxcBmQuXp-LLuiiPUoCo88sY5Jyg86MVzncoYg4rw5pgXesSfGb_wyum-xHj6Quh7ppki5B7JBOIfN2I_VxI3oE3WOina-H3PiiNiPKSqcSAn26R4Ct1MnB-3hvXrgmQvGAgJ53ZxTTvcxBaC4rOKL5Mwjec064ip7VPVsah2&c=da9hNam5h0zCD48BVCtuCdk7OlYWdshUnQMOea1x3uxMnT6sGyDBDw==&ch=M77QsmSKesa7xmpBN83xY4yizT0RHnLtkHq6G1sm4S2nyaVR23zx5A==" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: #004db4;" target="_blank" track="on">Times' coverage</a> features first-person stories, including one by a Times reporter who found herself mistakenly registered AIP, and one story on <a alt="http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-american-independent-party-california-voter-registration-card-20160419-story.html?utm_source=042016_CVF-NEWS&utm_campaign=CVF-NEWS_042016&utm_medium=email" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BqoFh3TI-haLBanFi4RZ7FnJMtRG2qySQcO-QfdeMqR7y996F8IX6LkDzkl827KqVQ9lxH550LnloIQOdv9s45puUp7TQLHY5isM0JaDPabhUDSHx7tmxXRyCyFNc7fJxKWcom-wm9YpY2KhMW09u-aJaF7qqvW1WDwHt2NN9eckPbsZ5n37STKdxwp5zQAzUPC6wh3GeNDXcbLvN-hf0x6nSnoCVDuhdnSZ8pLLVfpirJJOrO-ZPGwJNFHY5AGoPXUnOr6HDnbtkPFX58Ltj6c2u4pi1EY5mqz-K11hnopEul_J16wHvOjT0JffkjoJlzVkvEOCfG8OrxvvXDEYiLx4ag8RvzIZLBRDTVHxkZj0xz1BSZa73HJE3SMh4trAzIlF0Eo7VJd7sRvFVJENFR-AuDydd55n_WLRNQgDH3c=&c=da9hNam5h0zCD48BVCtuCdk7OlYWdshUnQMOea1x3uxMnT6sGyDBDw==&ch=M77QsmSKesa7xmpBN83xY4yizT0RHnLtkHq6G1sm4S2nyaVR23zx5A==" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: #004db4;" target="_blank" track="on">the need to clarify the options on the state's registration form</a>. <a alt="http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-american-independent-party-california-voter-registration-card-20160419-story.html?utm_source=042016_CVF-NEWS&utm_campaign=CVF-NEWS_042016&utm_medium=email" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BqoFh3TI-haLBanFi4RZ7FnJMtRG2qySQcO-QfdeMqR7y996F8IX6LkDzkl827KqVQ9lxH550LnloIQOdv9s45puUp7TQLHY5isM0JaDPabhUDSHx7tmxXRyCyFNc7fJxKWcom-wm9YpY2KhMW09u-aJaF7qqvW1WDwHt2NN9eckPbsZ5n37STKdxwp5zQAzUPC6wh3GeNDXcbLvN-hf0x6nSnoCVDuhdnSZ8pLLVfpirJJOrO-ZPGwJNFHY5AGoPXUnOr6HDnbtkPFX58Ltj6c2u4pi1EY5mqz-K11hnopEul_J16wHvOjT0JffkjoJlzVkvEOCfG8OrxvvXDEYiLx4ag8RvzIZLBRDTVHxkZj0xz1BSZa73HJE3SMh4trAzIlF0Eo7VJd7sRvFVJENFR-AuDydd55n_WLRNQgDH3c=&c=da9hNam5h0zCD48BVCtuCdk7OlYWdshUnQMOea1x3uxMnT6sGyDBDw==&ch=M77QsmSKesa7xmpBN83xY4yizT0RHnLtkHq6G1sm4S2nyaVR23zx5A==" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: black;" target="_blank" track="on"><br /></a></div>
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Luckily for California voters, the Times has set up an <a alt="http://static.latimes.com/american-independent-party-lookup/?utm_source=042016_CVF-NEWS&utm_campaign=CVF-NEWS_042016&utm_medium=email" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BqoFh3TI-haLBanFi4RZ7FnJMtRG2qySQcO-QfdeMqR7y996F8IX6LkDzkl827Kqg7NZP1AfJg36hOvwaxx_q9LZ67OaYFh_vVawpKFF1B56L9a6I75XZhlFd1XpqkgIs4-vdBxGDRTP-jMzGaV-sRX0bvNO4x-7HIobWPcg5M-aDfcgWKppKFLagaJla_3WqDjJR7Tkn9Xc5ffC2Zt7Br1aEvJkHvbD8g9ODqyf0ucyG3DuJEqaROWZ4Pe6w7z_OoVmh_BMIPfTr0zZt0ahSLGIZPCQU6ivLtIzdsjiHVenpBJ7to2PGrmZKZjzZF0cgBmEI7JxMQ5zf1lIeV_27w==&c=da9hNam5h0zCD48BVCtuCdk7OlYWdshUnQMOea1x3uxMnT6sGyDBDw==&ch=M77QsmSKesa7xmpBN83xY4yizT0RHnLtkHq6G1sm4S2nyaVR23zx5A==" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: #004db4;" target="_blank" track="on">online lookup tool</a> where they can check if they are registered AIP or No Party Preference. <span style="font-size: 10pt;">More tips for how to check your registration status and what you need to do to get ready to vote on June 7th are below. </span></div>
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<b>Ten Things to Know About California's Primary</b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">published by the California Voter Foundation</span></h3>
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On Tuesday, June 7, California will hold a statewide primary election and voters will help choose which candidates will be selected as the political parties' nominees for U.S. President. <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Many other federal, state and local contests are on the ballot as well. </span></div>
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Here are ten tips for voting in California's Primary:</div>
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<li style="color: black;">You must be registered to vote at your current address by Monday, <strong>May 23</strong>.</li>
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<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">You can check your registration address and declared party preference by <a alt="http://www.calvoter.org/voter/government/ceo.html?utm_source=042016_CVF-NEWS&utm_campaign=CVF-NEWS_042016&utm_medium=email" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BqoFh3TI-haLBanFi4RZ7FnJMtRG2qySQcO-QfdeMqR7y996F8IX6Gn0nKhD_7mn0BcstUV4Cr2plvb57OP1tTDubrMZVQvLYKQ6QL8MBQ2G_0Znv7KOM3U-VsT-OKh4DRy4zjcV1mrApWHqRZsgihGYSJZOvoZ8JPkkwGSRPNLaguZZhQfPmYJ2Fty1GzkVHSwFFipJIgtaUTAG7g7-eQEOiZcnwItfSUFvgYJXQW_-bJyWnJl-QzCyIw5CjZSGzqsVQkXxSCGXiYlZnwZ0vlPUQ7HeAYBlBNs4sFAYyLrgaRCuVhzrtjPo0x-55ZZ2u3_vvZBc76U=&c=da9hNam5h0zCD48BVCtuCdk7OlYWdshUnQMOea1x3uxMnT6sGyDBDw==&ch=M77QsmSKesa7xmpBN83xY4yizT0RHnLtkHq6G1sm4S2nyaVR23zx5A==" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: #004db4;" target="_blank" track="on">contacting your County Registrar of Voters</a>. You can contact them by phone or email; some offer voter registration status lookup tools from their official election web sites. You may also receive an official county publication or notice in the mail showing your current party preference.</span></li>
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<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Unlike your voting options in all other California political contests, <strong>your voting right in the Presidential primary depends on the political party you are registered with</strong>. Though California has an "open primary," the political parties decide whe</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">ther to open their primaries to independent voters. (In the November general election, you can vote for any party's Presidential candidate regardless of your party preference.)</span></li>
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<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">If you are registered with a political party, you can only vote for a candidate running for President in that party.</span></li>
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<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">If you want to vote for a Republican Presidential candidate, you must be registered with the Republican Party.</span></li>
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<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">If you want to vote for a Democratic Presidential candidate, you must be registered with the Democratic Party or be registered as "No Party Preference", which is the term used in California to register as an independent (also called "decline to state"). Independents make up nearly one-fourth of California's registered voters.</span></li>
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<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">"American Independent" is not the same as independent. It is an actual party and if you are one of the nearly half million Californians registered with this party, your Presidential primary choices will be limited to this party's candidates.</span></li>
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<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">If you want to register, update your address or change your party preference you must complete a voter registration application and submit it by May 23. You can <strong>register online at <a alt="http://registertovote.ca.gov/?utm_source=042016_CVF-NEWS&utm_campaign=CVF-NEWS_042016&utm_medium=email" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BqoFh3TI-haLBanFi4RZ7FnJMtRG2qySQcO-QfdeMqR7y996F8IX6LkDzkl827KqSyDqG2ryjOm1AFkS6EJxStwPykmput_8VC3SBSvM_m1b7hRAK2ZgwRYMl4RpvqERUk-MqPJaYYPTJVi5aNRSZ686a6kfZ1KCs3ZnlXL4YCr6h1iljzoiuVpDOCuhkSdYyHxQ-FJltpLQlISxBRXu5Yq-yLRCTLF1IsQUilqW7gEFopze3I8jR3fnycXbd9p5SYKsAxoEVt-XQDkPJpQJgZ7GYFXc-RsGONmcFb8W_eg=&c=da9hNam5h0zCD48BVCtuCdk7OlYWdshUnQMOea1x3uxMnT6sGyDBDw==&ch=M77QsmSKesa7xmpBN83xY4yizT0RHnLtkHq6G1sm4S2nyaVR23zx5A==" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: #004db4;" target="_blank" track="on">registertovote.ca.gov</a> </strong>or request a paper application by calling 1-800-345-VOTE, or call or visit your county registrar of voters. But <strong>don't wait until the last minute</strong>. The sooner you apply to register or change your registration, the more likely <img align="right" border="0" src="http://files.ctctcdn.com/c9b7647d001/5b697a94-3cf0-43a8-b50f-9a63d229876f.jpg" height="101" hspace="5" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.59" vspace="5" width="171" />you will receive official state and local ballot information in advance of Election Day.</span></li>
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<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">If you ask at the polls to vote for a presidential candidate for whom you are not eligible to vote, you will be invited to cast a provisional ballot. Your choice for president will not be counted but the rest of your choices in other contests will be. If you write in the name of a candidate who appears on another party's ballot, your vote in that contest will not be counted but your other votes will be.</span></li>
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<li style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">There are 34 U.S. Senate candidates on the ballot. Look at your ballot carefully. Because there are so many, the candidates may be listed in two or more columns or on two pages. <strong>Be sure to cast only one vote for U.S. Senate</strong> or your vote will not count.</span></li>
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Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-42341511716928206142015-12-18T12:09:00.000-08:002015-12-18T12:09:01.436-08:00Support the California Voter Foundation and better elections!It's the time of year when nonprofits are asking for donations. There are many worthy causes<br />
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out there, and I'm hoping folks find the California Voter Foundation to be one of them. Contributions are tax-deductible, much needed and appreciated! To learn more about what CVF accomplished in 2015 and what we plan for 2016 (including a new Proposition Song!) take a look at our <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/about/contribute.html" target="_blank">year-end report and appeal</a>. Please <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/about/contribute.html" target="_blank">donate online</a> today!Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-81792246145432825322015-07-22T10:50:00.001-07:002015-07-22T10:55:25.564-07:00Just released: VoteCal policy brief<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For many years I have been monitoring the State of California's efforts to modernize its statewide voter registration database.With support from The James Irvine Foundation, I'm pleased to share the new policy brief that the California Voter Foundation published today, <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/issues/voterreg/votecalpolicybrief.html" target="_blank">VoteCal and the Struggle to Modernize California's Statewide Voter Registration Database</a>.<br />
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This policy brief chronicles the story of the VoteCal project, which got underway in 2006 and is still in development today. The good news is that the project is currently on track, on schedule and within budget. Read more in the policy brief or in <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/news/releases/072215release.html" target="_blank">today's CVF news release</a>.</div>
Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-54354478301749189342015-05-18T08:51:00.000-07:002015-05-18T09:15:08.766-07:00"Learn to Jam!" pamphlet to debut at Strawberry Music FestivalI'm very excited to share the new "Jamiquette" poster that is one side of the "Learn to Jam!" pamphlet I developed at the urging of Pete Seeger, with help from Susan Webb and Anthony Montanino. It will be available at the <a href="http://www.strawberrymusic.com/" target="_blank">Strawberry Music Festival </a>starting Thursday, May 21, at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley.<br />
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Since these are not easy to read in this image below, here is a link to the 20 Tips online: <a href="http://kimalex.blogspot.com/2014/01/learn-to-jam-20-tips-for-making-music.html" style="text-align: center;">http://kimalex.blogspot.com/2014/01/learn-to-jam-20-tips-for-making-music.html</a><br />
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This festival also marks the first time I will be teaching my new "Learn to Jam!" workshop at a music festival. Hope to see you there, and wish me luck!<br />
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<br />Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-22526303871178960712015-04-27T09:50:00.003-07:002015-04-27T09:51:24.126-07:00Working towards restoring election funding to the Calif. state budgetOne reason for California's abysmal voter turnout is the fact that voter turnout is not a priority for our political leaders. After all, the system worked just fine as-is for them.<br />
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Through the California Voter Foundation, I've been working with folks from a number of different organizations to urge our legislators and governor to demonstrate their commitment to improving the election process in California by restoring funding to the budget to pay for programs the state funded up until 2011, when the financial crisis hit the state hard and lots of programs got cut.</div>
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Now that the state is back in the black, it's time to start paying counties the funds that they are, by law, entitled to receive from the state when it imposes new programs on counties. See the <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/news/cvfnews/cvfnews042415.html" target="_blank">April 24, 2015 edition of CVF-NEWS</a> for an update on our recent victory, getting $77.4 million restored to the budget in the Senate's budget subcommittee to pay for election mandates. Also covered in this edition are two bills CVF is supporting - SB 365/Pavley and AB 477/Mullin - to implement recommendations stemming from our 2014 vote-by-mail study.</div>
Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-41135251985944345312014-11-06T08:09:00.003-08:002014-11-06T08:09:43.352-08:00California's record low turnoutIt's so disappointing when you put on a big event and folks don't show up.<br />
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That's how I expect a lot of registrars and poll workers felt after Tuesday's election. We'll find out later today <a href="http://vote.sos.ca.gov/unprocessed-ballots-status/" target="_blank">how many ballots remain</a> to be counted. The Field Poll <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/11/04/pollster-predicts-voter-turnout-in-california-will-reach-a-half-century-low/" target="_blank">projected</a> 8.2 million Californians would vote.<br />
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That's a lot, but compared to how many are registered and eligible, it's a smaller share of the number who participated the last time. And the time before that.<br />
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Why is participation on the decline? I offered some answers to that question yesterday to Jason Hoppin, a reporter from the Monterey Herald who discovered his county's turnout had dropped by double digits. Here's an excerpt from <a href="http://www.montereyherald.com/localnews/ci_26877436/abysmal-turnout-marks-2014-vote" target="_blank">his story</a> today: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">Brown's bid for an unprecedented fourth term, the 2014 ballot was
left without a marquee matchup to drive midterm turnout: voter participation
will likely settle in the mid-40s, an unprecedented low.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">Why?</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">"I wish I knew. More and more
people are bringing their ballots at the last minute to the polls, that's one
of the things that happening. But the low turnout, I don't (know),"
Monterey County Registrar of Voters Claudio Valenzuela said. "Midterms are
different."</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></blockquote>
-------<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;"> </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">The problem is not unique to
Monterey County: turnout was low across the state. Kim Alexander, president of
the California Voter Foundation, outlined several factors she believes are
pushing the numbers down, including declining home ownership, long ballots, less
partisanship — a quarter of the state's voters no longer align themselves with
a political party — and California's top-two primary system, which often pushes
minor-party candidates off the general election ballot.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">Alexander also cited a rise in
negative campaigning and the influence of fundraising, with well-heeled
candidates hiring professional advisers to target campaigns at likely voters,
leaving infrequent voters out of the loop.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">"We have a really skewed
system where some people receive way more information than they need, and other
voters, who really need it, receive absolutely none," Alexander said.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">Brown's shoo-in campaign was also a
factor, she added. The governor put little effort into his re-election bid,
which did nothing to stir interest in the race.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">"Every ballot needs a loss
leader. Every ballot needs something that's going to draw people out, and we
didn't have that on this ballot," Alexander said.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">Furthermore, 70 percent of Monterey
County now gets a mail ballot. Stunningly, in a county of 415,000 people and
165,000 eligible voters, just 15,000 people went to a polling place on Election
Day.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">Alexander said mail ballots can
contribute to turnout problems. Some voters lose ballots without realizing they
can request another, or don't know they can drop the ballot off on Election
Day. In addition, 3 percent of the mail ballots statewide weren't counted in
the June primary, due to a number of factors.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">"That's a higher error rate
than the hanging chads of the 2000 presidential contest in Florida," Alexander
said, adding the state needs to help fund local mail ballot programs.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;">"We need a wholesale review of
the program, because you've got a lot of ballots out there that are not
connecting with voters," she added.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia;"></span></blockquote>
Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-54280940304647578672014-11-02T12:42:00.002-08:002014-11-02T12:42:48.795-08:00Top Ten Online Resources & Five Vote-by-Mail Tips<br />
The California Voter Foundation has issued our <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/news/cvfnews/cvfnews103114.html" target="_blank">Top Ten Online Resources</a> to help voters make informed choices in Tuesday's Election! Also available - <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/issues/votereng/votebymail/tipsheet.html" target="_blank">Five tips to ensure your vote-by-mail ballot gets counted</a>.Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-12415233685731468482014-10-29T12:30:00.002-07:002014-10-29T12:30:05.604-07:00Every election could use a songAs a kid growing up in Los Angeles in the 1970's, I watched a lot of Saturday morning cartoons. In between Bugs Bunny and HR Puffnstuff there would be these musical interludes, called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock!">Schoolhouse Rock!</a>. In the early morning hours on a non-school day I would learn about how a bill becomes a law, that three is a magic number, plus some grammar, economics and science thrown in.<br />
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I'm guessing many of my fellow GenXers were also strongly influenced by this series. So many times I've reminisced with friends about how valuable it was to learn about important stuff through song.</div>
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That's why in 2000, when California voters were facing 20 ballot propositions, I decided to write the <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/voter/elections/archive/2000/primary/propositions/song/index.html">first Proposition Song</a>. The idea was simple: give voters a brief, 3-minute overview of each of the propositions on the ballot so they can sort them out and have a better sense of which one does what and what voting yes or no would mean.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/08OqezyhzsY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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The idea of using music and song to inform and entertain people at the same time has a long history. Folk music originated as a way to pass along knowledge in times of widespread illiteracy. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campaign_song#Presidential_campaign_songs">Campaign songs</a> in the U.S. date back to 1824. Songs help win revolutions.<br />
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Most of the information voters get in elections comes from the government or campaigns and is in the written form - voter guides, pamphlets, sample ballots. Offering information in an audio/visual format gives voters an alternative to the usual. Happily voters have alternatives this election. In addition to the Proposition Song, there is <a href="http://seepolitical.com/props">SeePolitical</a>, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group producing high-quality <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u-C4fzgC3zk/VFE6cwXYvRI/AAAAAAAAAQw/TMMlE3_EB1A/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-10-29%2Bat%2B12.04.08%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u-C4fzgC3zk/VFE6cwXYvRI/AAAAAAAAAQw/TMMlE3_EB1A/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-10-29%2Bat%2B12.04.08%2BPM.png" height="188" width="400" /></a></div>
two-minute animated videos about the measures on the ballot.<br />
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One of the most satisfying parts of creating the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08OqezyhzsY">Proposition Song</a> is that so many people want to help and participate. About a month ago, I wasn't planning on writing a song this year. With only six propositions on the ballot, I didn't have much material to work with. Plus none of the propositions rose to the "water cooler conversation" level. When CVF board members asked if there'd be a song, I told them I had the proposition blues. Well, they said, write a song about that!<br />
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The very next morning I woke up and wrote half of it by 10 a.m. The rest came a few days later. Within a week I'd recruited some friends to play it with me. We rehearsed it on a Tuesday, recorded it two days later, performed it that night, edited the video a few days after that, and released it last week. It all came together very quickly, with many people stepping in to help. I realized the Proposition Song is bigger than me. It is a community project that lots of people look forward to, and putting it all together is honestly one of the most fun parts of my job. </div>
Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-87430017631626586672014-10-29T11:58:00.001-07:002014-10-29T11:59:45.222-07:00California Voter Foundation's 2014 Proposition Song<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/08OqezyhzsY" width="480"></iframe></div>
Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-81373158048931305242014-10-12T09:33:00.000-07:002014-10-12T09:33:57.270-07:00A new proposition song!Just (barely) in time for the upcoming election, I've come up with a new proposition song. Also a new <br />
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tune! I will be recording it with friends soon but in the meantime here are the lyrics.<br />
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Musicians and singers are welcome to join us on Thursday, Oct. 16 at Old Ironsides in downtown Sacramento at 7:30 p.m. to participate in the recording and performance.<br />
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Thanks to the CVF board, my friends and family, the Gerbode Foundation and undisclosed sources deep within California government for help with this project.<br />
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The first Proposition Song was for the <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/voter/elections/archive/2000/primary/propositions/song/index.html">2000</a> election, followed by songs in <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/voter/elections/2006/general/props/song/index.html">2006</a>, <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/voter/elections/2010/general/props/song/index.html">2010</a> and <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/voter/elections/2012/general/props/song/index.html">2012</a>. There is also a bootleg <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/voter/elections/2009/special/props/poem.html">2009</a> California Special Election song we recorded but didn't release.<br />
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Making proposition songs is something that brings me joy and I hope it does the same for you! Mostly I hope you sing and play along.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">The California Proposition Blues<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Tune: Traditional
Blues<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lyrics: Kim Alexander<o:p></o:p></div>
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E<o:p></o:p></div>
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Just the other day it arrived in the mail,<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>E7<o:p></o:p></div>
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My official voter guide I said, “What the hell?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A7<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>E<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s take a look, see what it’s all about<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B7<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>A7<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>E<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>B7<o:p></o:p></div>
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I read and read but I still can’t figure it out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Started with the first one,
Proposition One<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s not in the same guide as the
rest of ‘em<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s “Supplemental” – it arrived
later on<o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s why it took a bit longer to
write this song<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So I went online for the pros and
cons<o:p></o:p></div>
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Turns out Prop. 1 is a water bond<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
It could help address the drought
in our state<o:p></o:p></div>
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Seven billion to pay for
infrastructure that’s out of date<o:p></o:p></div>
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Prop. 2 is next, it’s a complicated
one<o:p></o:p></div>
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Something about the state’s rainy
day fund<o:p></o:p></div>
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If it passes, we’ll have to save
more<o:p></o:p></div>
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And pay down the state’s debts faster
than we did before<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bear with me now, this doesn’t make
sense<o:p></o:p></div>
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But Prop. 45 is the one that comes
next<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s confusing, but watcha gonna
do?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ll vote but still have the
California Proposition Blues<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
See, the insurance commissioner
wants more control<o:p></o:p></div>
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The health insurance companies,
they say “No!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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As a voter, it’s up to you to
choose<o:p></o:p></div>
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I understand if you’ve got the
California Proposition Blues<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next one is also a health care
prop<o:p></o:p></div>
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46 affects California’s docs<o:p></o:p></div>
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It changes the cap on medical suits<o:p></o:p></div>
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And tries to cut down on alleged
doctor drug abuse.<o:p></o:p></div>
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47 is next and it deals with crime<o:p></o:p></div>
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Should non-violent offenders do
less time?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Supporters say, vote yes because<o:p></o:p></div>
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They think we should change California
sentencing laws<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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48’s unlike the rest of ‘em<o:p></o:p></div>
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No initiative, it’s a referendum<o:p></o:p></div>
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In support, some tribes they do
rally<o:p></o:p></div>
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A yes vote allows a new casino in
the Central Valley<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-5745996100876007432014-08-19T16:56:00.000-07:002014-08-21T14:46:56.969-07:00What we can learn from Netflix to speed up ballot deliveryLast night, as I was putting the final touches on the California Voter Foundation's new report, <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/votebymail">Improving the Vote-by-Mail Process: A Three-County Study</a>, I heard the mailman outside our door, picking up the Netflix DVD I was returning. It was past 6:30 p.m.<br />
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"Hmm," I thought, "He's here kind of late today."</div>
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First thing in the morning, while getting our report ready to distribute, I check my email. There is a message from Netflix. "We've received: Frozen" it says. It was timestamped 6:40 a.m. In twelve hours, that DVD went from my porch to Netflix and was logged into their system as received.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N6-LH-Y9-zQ/U_PiPY6zK3I/AAAAAAAAAPw/WoL7JrsvCI8/s1600/IMG_5197.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N6-LH-Y9-zQ/U_PiPY6zK3I/AAAAAAAAAPw/WoL7JrsvCI8/s1600/IMG_5197.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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This was not the first time I considered how nearly magical the Netflix-U.S. Mail delivery process is. (And I am aware that it is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netflix#Legal_issues_and_controversies">matter of controversy</a>.) But in the past few weeks, as we have been finishing up our vote-by-mail study and recommending improvements to reduce vote-by-mail balloting errors, I increasingly began to wonder: what is Netflix doing so right that we are getting so wrong with our mail ballots, many of which arrive too late to count?</div>
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For starters, Netflix uses first class, postage paid, "Permit Reply" mail. This means the company prepays the postage on the return envelope. And <i>that</i> means the mail piece does not have to pass through a permit office to get dinged off an account before continuing on its postal journey. </div>
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Netflix also has distribution centers all across the country. So the DVD doesn't have to get to one place, it has to get to the nearest Netflix location.</div>
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All the pieces weigh the same and look the same. The red envelope is eye-catching and easily recognized by postal employees. Barcodes are used to track the envelope and its contents to the exact customer and address.</div>
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The fact is, we could use first class, postage paid "Permit Reply" mail for vote-by-mail ballots. The reason we don't is because it would cost a lot. And voting by mail is a convenience, not a right. </div>
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But our political leaders need to consider what we can learn from Netflix and utilize some of those lessons in how we process vote-by-mail ballots. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TAAD3zq4pxk/U_Piyrb8SsI/AAAAAAAAAQA/qry0Ew21q74/s1600/VBM-envelopes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TAAD3zq4pxk/U_Piyrb8SsI/AAAAAAAAAQA/qry0Ew21q74/s1600/VBM-envelopes.jpg" height="320" title="" width="213" /></a></div>
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To that end, the California Voter Foundation's new report features a number of <a href="http://calvoter.org/issues/votereng/votebymail/study/recommendations.html">recommendations</a>, including one to allow voters to return their mail ballots to any election office or polling place in the state. This would allow ballots to get into the custody of the nearest election official and would help reduce disenfranchisement. Topics for further study include considering ways to standardize mail ballot postage rates and creating a uniform envelope statewide that is easily recognizeable. </div>
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Using first class Permit Reply envelopes for voters living in all mail-ballot precincts would also be an improvement. Our study findings indicate that while these voters get postage paid envelopes (since they have no choice but to vote by mail) they require extra time for mail processing so the postage can be debited from the permit holder's account. </div>
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In November 2012 in Sacramento County, 3.3 percent of voters in all mail-ballot precincts cast ballots that were not counted, compared to 1 percent for mail voters overall. And 81 percent of those uncounted ballots from mail ballot precincts were not counted because they arrived too late, compared to the overall late ballot rate of 45 percent.</div>
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A ballot is more valuable than a DVD. It's time we treat ballots as the precious items they are and find ways to streamline ballot delivery so fewer people are disenfranchised and more ballots are counted.</div>
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Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-25235068157292927982014-07-14T09:53:00.001-07:002014-07-14T09:53:37.978-07:00California voters had reasons to skip primary<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The <a href="http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2014-primary/pdf/04-historical-voter-reg-primary.pdf">lowest percentage of voters in California history</a> turned out for the June 2014 California Primary election, according to the <a href="http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2014-primary/">Certified Statement of the Vot</a>e released last Friday by California Secretary of State Debra Bowen. Approximately 4.5 million Californians - one out of every four registered voters in the state and 18 percent of eligible voters - cast ballots in the June 3rd election. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Voters had some good reasons to skip the primary, as explained in <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2014/06/07/6464542/viewpoints-voters-had-reasons.html">this op-ed</a> I wrote which was published the Saturday after the election in the Sacramento Bee. Excerpts are featured below.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">Californians have never shown much interest in participating in primaries. Only once in the last 100 years (1938) have more than half of eligible Californians participated in a primary election.</span><br />
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Turnout among registered voters has also dropped dramatically, peaking in 1976 at 73 percent and sliding down ever since. There have been a few high points since then, when we moved our presidential primary to an earlier date to give Californians more say. In March 2000, 54 percent of registered voters participated, and in February 2008, 58 percent participated. But overall, primary turnout, especially in nonpresidential elections, has hovered around 30 or 40 percent.</div>
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One explanation is the steep decline in party affiliation and dramatic rise in the number of independent voters. In 1990, 89 percent of the state’s registered voters were affiliated with either the Democratic or the Republican parties while 9 percent were registered as independents and 2 percent with minor parties.</div>
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Today, 72 percent of California’s voters affiliate with the two major parties, while 21 percent are independents and 7 percent are with minor parties. While under the top-two primary election system, independents now have a say in whittling down the choices for November, it doesn’t change the fact that until very recently, primaries were intended for parties to select their nominees for the general election. With a growing percentage of <a class=" lingo_link" href="http://topics.sacbee.com/California+voters/" rel="nofollow" style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #024a82; cursor: pointer; display: inline; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;">California voters</a> choosing to affiliate with neither of the major parties, it should come as no surprise that participation in primaries is dropping.</div>
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Today, 72 percent of California’s voters affiliate with the two major parties, while 21 percent are independents and 7 percent are with minor parties. While under the top-two primary election system, independents now have a say in whittling down the choices for November, it doesn’t change the fact that until very recently, primaries were intended for parties to select their nominees for the general election. With a growing percentage of <a class=" lingo_link" href="http://topics.sacbee.com/California+voters/" rel="nofollow" style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #024a82; cursor: pointer; display: inline; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;">California voters</a> choosing to affiliate with neither of the major parties, it should come as no surprise that participation in primaries is dropping.</div>
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Another reason why many people are sitting out elections is that no one is asking for their vote. Political campaigns are extremely sophisticated in micro-targeting their communications only to those voters most likely to vote, and ignoring everyone else.</div>
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California’s decline in homeownership rates and relatively low rates of homeownership compared to other states may also be a factor. Homeowners vote in higher rates than renters for several reasons. First, as property-tax payers, they have a greater stake in <a class=" lingo_link lingo_link_hidden" href="http://topics.sacbee.com/government+decisions/" rel="nofollow" style="border: none; color: black; cursor: pointer; display: inline; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;">government decisions.</a> Second, they are likely to be wealthier than the general public and feel a greater need to protect their interests. And, unlike renters, they stay put, and so are more likely to become familiar with their political districts and elected officials.</div>
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According to the <a class=" lingo_link" href="http://topics.sacbee.com/U.S.+census/" rel="nofollow" style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #024a82; cursor: pointer; display: inline; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;">U.S. census,</a> California’s homeownership rate dropped from 60 percent in 2005 to 56 percent in 2010, which is nearly the same percentage of eligible Californians who voted in the 2012 general election. Other states’ turnout rates similarly match up. Minnesota’s 76 percent turnout rate in 2012 was the highest in the nation, and that state has a 73 percent homeownership rate. New York’s turnout was 54 percent, with homeownership at 55 percent.</div>
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Another contributing factor is a lack of funding. Since 2011, Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature have withheld money owed to counties to pay for election programs mandated by the state, such as vote by mail. As a result, counties are forced to do more with less, even as the number of eligible and registered voters in California constantly expands. A reduction in state funding can result in reduced election services, such as early voting and voter outreach programs.</div>
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And lastly, we have the media’s constant dwelling on the likely low turnout rate leading up to election day. This narrative may well have helped suppress turnout. Occasional voters are highly influenced to vote depending on what others around them are doing, particularly their friends and family. Repeated messages about low voter turnout do little to encourage participation and may in fact contribute to the problem.</div>
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<br />Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/06/07/6464542/viewpoints-voters-had-reasons.html#storylink=cpy</div>
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<br />Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/06/07/6464542/viewpoints-voters-had-reasons.html#storylink=cpy</div>
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<br />Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/06/07/6464542/viewpoints-voters-had-reasons.html#storylink=cpy</div>
Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-36953303342273023072014-06-02T18:23:00.001-07:002014-06-03T06:39:48.219-07:00Look up your polling place online & other election day tips<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
On this election eve the California Voter Foundation has a few election tips to share. </div>
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1. Polls are open 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. tomorrow. Please urge your<img align="right" border="0" height="86" hspace="5" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.34" src="https://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs179/1103123348380/img/34.jpg" vspace="5" width="87" /> coworkers, friends and family to participate. </div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">2. Help spread the word that you don't have to vote on everything on the ballot in order for your votes to count. The important thing is to be a voter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">3. While many pundits have been talking about low voter turnout a better message to share is to let people know what a privilege it is to be able to vote and choose who represents us. </span></div>
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4. Voters looking for their polling place location have a new tool<img align="right" border="0" height="183" hspace="5" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.37" src="https://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs179/1103123348380/img/37.jpg" vspace="5" width="143" /> at their fingertips. California Secretary of State Debra Bowen and her staff recently debuted a new statewide polling place lookup tool, produced in collaboration with Google and Pew's Voting Information Project. It also lists statewide candidates and county election office information. This is the first statewide lookup tool made available to California voters. Check it out at <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001z2HE0l03CkeURNzEn1PqnhOPOvzv0AVhwo48T_r6zlpib1CKRktnuLtyKNSf7zF_nW8_oIZu3E6VS4P6hZ3Mb8jP4dgvn3KAOdwZiEN9wVP5656c0ONLDa2xdkhwy24bYlKWUJaE5WEHp9FQet0rsg==" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: #5c788c;" target="_blank" track="on">http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/find-polling-place.htm</a>.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">5. Voters who have vote-by-mail ballots and have not returned them should fill them out and take them to any polling place in your home county on Election Day. <strong>Postmarks don't count</strong>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">6. Late arrival, missing signatures and signatures not matching are the three top reasons why some vote-by-mail ballots don't get counted. Make sure yours does by returning it in person on Election Day, signing the envelope, and signing your name the same way you registered to vote. <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001z2HE0l03CkeURNzEn1PqnhOPOvzv0AVhwo48T_r6zlpib1CKRktnuLtyKNSf7zF_nW8_oIZu3E6F7-8pfPDXYasmBkYKgzW2S6SmMFjzFGo8B0Kxe-3BSTKYGpysempvOADBJ1ZvdIcn7GRH0bwd2_i7p-TM2ke-f2IZ06CWdEpvhw-rMo6tHA==" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: #5c788c;" target="_blank" track="on">CVF has more tips to help you make it count</a>. </span></div>
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7. There are no dumb questions. Voting can be confusing, and election officials are there to help. Use CVF's <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001z2HE0l03CkeURNzEn1PqnhOPOvzv0AVhwo48T_r6zlpib1CKRktnuLtyKNSf7zF_nW8_oIZu3E6F7-8pfPDXYagN_ICrbF9wgaObP1zR_7o3bpYvk9zYNZiEOm3UQNrdlAmPFY578q22ZX718BvEhg==" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: #5c788c;" target="_blank" track="on">Directory of County Election Offices</a> to contact your election office with any last-minute questions.</div>
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8. If you need to check your registration status, or the status of your vote-by-mail ballot, or want to view an online version of your county sample ballot you can access these resources in most counties via CVF's <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001z2HE0l03CkeURNzEn1PqnhOPOvzv0AVhwo48T_r6zlpib1CKRktnuLtyKNSf7zF_nW8_oIZu3E6F7-8pfPDXYagN_ICrbF9wgaObP1zR_7o3bpYvk9zYNZiEOm3UQNrdlAmPFY578q22ZX718BvEhg==" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: #5c788c;" target="_blank" track="on">Directory of County Election Offices</a>.</div>
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9. For information about candidates on the ballot and essential election information, visit CVF's <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001z2HE0l03CkeURNzEn1PqnhOPOvzv0AVhwo48T_r6zlpib1CKRktnuLtyKNSf7zF_nW8_oIZu3E6F7-8pfPDXYagN_ICrbF9wLDfXjtpoEMbVjdaR_gQv1Q==" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: #5c788c;" target="_blank" track="on">California Online Voter Guide</a>.<img align="right" border="0" height="63" hspace="5" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.36" src="https://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs179/1103123348380/img/36.jpg" vspace="5" width="143" />To follow the money and see who's backing a candidate, visit Maplight's <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001z2HE0l03CkeURNzEn1PqnhOPOvzv0AVhwo48T_r6zlpib1CKRktnuLtyKNSf7zF_nW8_oIZu3E5XtzVubuKVd6lrjotdo4mWIeakuSUW7NY=" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: #5c788c;" target="_blank" track="on">Voters Edge</a>.</div>
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10. Wear your "I Voted" sticker tomorrow with pride!</div>
Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-42117977035502269852014-04-23T09:58:00.000-07:002014-04-23T09:58:47.047-07:00Ten Questions for Secretary of State CandidatesElection season is upon us and the open seat contest for California Secretary of State has drawn a number of candidates, including several who will be debating each other this afternoon at a <a href="http://sacpressclub.org/special-events">Sacramento Press Club event</a>. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sQpac_g0EdI/U1fw-ZVR1PI/AAAAAAAAAL8/UbVq-F79PdE/s1600/sacpressclub.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sQpac_g0EdI/U1fw-ZVR1PI/AAAAAAAAAL8/UbVq-F79PdE/s1600/sacpressclub.png" height="87" width="200" /></a></div>
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Whenever there is an election for Secretary of State, I'm frequently asked for input on questions to be asked of the candidates. This year I've decided to post a list of suggested questions on my blog - here's hoping a few get asked today!</div>
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<b>Ten Questions For Secretary of State Candidates</b></div>
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1. Many voters and would-be voters are uncomfortable with their
personal information being made available to secondary users such as political
parties and campaigns. As Secretary of State what if anything will you do to
address the public’s voter data privacy concerns?</div>
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2. Federal law requires state government agencies to offer the
public the opportunity to register to vote. What will you do as Secretary of
State to ensure this happens?</div>
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3. California currently offers no statewide online lookup tools
to help voters verify their registration status, locate their polling place or
check on the status of their vote-by-mail ballot. What will you do as Secretary
of State to provide voters with access to these kinds of tools?</div>
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4. There is widespread agreement that the Cal-Access online
disclosure system is in need of an overhaul. What specific changes do you want
to see made to this system and how will you bring those changes about if
elected Secretary of State?</div>
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5. Ten years ago California enacted a law
to require electronic ballots to be backed up with a voter-verified paper audit
trail. Do you support this law? </div>
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6. Funding for California counties has been withheld in the
state budget since 2011, when Governor Jerry Brown proposed and legislature agreed to
suspend the state mandated election programs and no longer provide funding to
counties to support those programs. This includes the permanent vote-by-mail
program which 43 percent of California’s registered voters are currently
enrolled in. As Secretary of State what will you do to ensure counties carry out state election laws in a uniform way?</div>
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7. Many vote-by-mail ballots go uncounted in California due to
late arrival or voter error. What would you do as Secretary of State to reduce
the state’s unsuccessful vote-by-mail ballot rate (among the highest in the
nation according to Pew’s Election Performance Index) and get more VBM ballots
to be cast successfully and counted?</div>
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8. What is your opinion about voting over the Internet?</div>
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9. What guarantee can you give to California voters that their
ballot was counted correctly? What will you do as Secretary of State to ensure
the integrity and accuracy of California’s vote count?</div>
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10. Funding for the Secretary of State is provided for in the
state budget. As Secretary of State what will you do to ensure that the
Legislature and the Governor provide your agency with adequate funding to
ensure you can carry out your duties as well as any additional goals and
programs you wish to pursue?</div>
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Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3874082505082039166.post-24350729382552554852014-04-01T16:39:00.002-07:002014-04-01T16:39:26.428-07:00CVF-NEWS Roundup: Disclosure bills, Covered CA, election funding & Secretary of State raceThe March 28th edition of CVF-NEWS was jam-packed with lots of important news updates, covering the following topics:<div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Disclosure bills to give voters information about top proposition donors advance in the Legislature;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Covered CA agrees to mail voter registration forms to nearly 4 million applicants;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">California's legislative budget committees hit the "pause" button on continued suspension of funding for state-mandated local election programs; and</span></div>
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<li style="line-height: 1.25em; list-style: disc; margin: 0.25em 0px 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.25em;">Secretary of State race gets underway with candidate forums.</span><div style="color: black; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0.25em; padding: 0px;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For all the details, <a href="http://www.calvoter.org/news/cvfnews/cvfnews032814.html">read CVF-NEWS on the California Voter Foundation's web site</a>.</span></div>
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Kim Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347007608632346532noreply@blogger.com0