Minutes
Marin County Elections Department
Language Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting (LAAC)
July 16, 2024, 2:30 p.m.
Virtual (Zoom) Meeting
Minutes
Attendees
Yolanda Barahona, Community Action Marin
Sietse Goffard, Advancing Justice / Asian Law Caucus
Mo de Nieva-Marsh, Community Action Marin
Lynda Roberts, Registrar of Voters
Colleen Ksanda, Vote Centers /Election Workers
Elizabeth Iwamiya, Outreach
Welcome
Lynda Roberts opened the meeting and thanked everyone for their participation.
Outreach Update: Marin County Fair (Elizabeth Iwamiya)
The Elections Department partnered with League of Women Voters of Marin County and Canal Alliance to host a booth at the recent County Fair to provide information about the upcoming election and generally answer questions.
Signage at the booth included large “flag” signs as well as posters and flyers in the Elections Department’s required languages—Chinese, English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
The team planned a mock election to vote for best fair food as a fun way to engage with the public—both children and adults. The mock election was set-up like an actual election with candidate statements and official ballots that included instructions. Candidates on the ballot were Corn Dog, Cotton Candy, Elote, and Candied Apple. Voters received a customized voting sticker stating “I Voted for the Best Fair Food”.
The team also created a bookmark with information about the November 2024 General Election, including dates and basic reminders about vote-by-mail ballots. All materials at the booth were available in Chinese, English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
This was a great partnership and all participants were very enthusiastic. The public was amused by the mock election and had a fun time interacting with the booth managers. While kids were voting, booth managers could talk with the parents about registration and voting, and the League of Women Voters promoted the Vote 411 program that provides non-partisan information about issues on the ballot.
Over 1,300 people voted and the results were announced on the Elections Department website, which was also set-up to mirror an actual election. Over the course of five days, the booth managers engaged with over 1,500 fair-goers.
Ms. Iwamiya also gave a quick summary of the Student Elections Ambassador Program saying that participation has about doubled in the last year and now includes14 schools and 50 ambassadors.
Questions / Discussion
What drew people to the booth? What were the talking points at the booth? As people walked by the booth it was effective to call out, “Have you voted for best fair food? Come on over for a free fun election”. Booth managers could then engage in a conversation about the upcoming November election. Booth managers from Canal Alliance helped attract attention by greeting people in Spanish—this inclusiveness worked. Also, waving to people on the passing fair train got attention. Elections Department outreach coordinator Danny Straub connected with the nearby food vendors, who hung posters of the food candidates, so this extended the outward reach.
How many people used non-English ballots? Approximately 20% opted for the Spanish ballot.
November 2024: Overview of recruitment efforts for bi-lingual workers (Colleen Ksanda)
The Elections Department sent recruitment invitation notices to election workers last week and people are starting to respond. The notices go to past workers and to those who have applied online.
At the April LAAC meeting, March election observers from the committee pointed out that workers said they could speak another language but were not fluent. For the November election invitation, Ms. Ksanda changed the recruitment information to ask if a person is fluent in a language. Vote Center workers are directed to post a welcome sign at the entrance to let voters know which languages are spoken at the location. Hopefully the changes will result in more accurate language services.
So far there are many people with Spanish-speaking skills, however the department does not currently have a very big pool of people who speak Chinese or Vietnamese. The application deadline is September 1st.
The recruitment for Vote Center Coordinators (VCCs) is done through the Human Resources Department. Many VCCs return and most are still active. The VCC position has a couple of minimum qualifications—VCCs must be registered to vote, able to push/pull 80 pounds, and able to drive so they can return ballots to the Civic Center. Applicants go through an interview process; only about 5 of the 60 employees are bi-lingual. In order to receive bi-lingual pay, applicants are required to take a test. VCCs work up to 15 days and require a full day of training plus in-office training.
Questions / Discussion
In response to a question about involving youth, Ms. Ksanda said that high school students are allowed to serve through the high school student poll worker program, and in the past the Elections Department used students for Election Day only polling places. However, vote centers are open for multiple days and students are not able to work four days. In addition, the Elections Department does not have the capacity to train workers for just one day.
In response to a question about the minimum age for someone to apply to be an election worker, Ms. Ksanda said workers must be 18 years of age and be a registered voter or a lawful permanent resident; there is no driving requirement for these stipend workers.
In response to suggestions, Ms. Ksanda said she would share the recruitment notice so LAAC members can help recruit for bi-lingual workers, and she will remind workers at training to include their language skill on their name badge.
Next Meeting
The next quarterly meeting will be October 15, 2:30 - 3:30 via Zoom.
The meeting adjourned at 3:20 p.m.
Marin County Elections Department
Language Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting (LAAC)
April 16, 2024, 2:30 PM
Virtual (Zoom) Meeting
Minutes
Attendees
Aashika Srinivas, Asian Americans Advancing Justice / Asian Law Caucus
Yolanda Barahona, Community Action Marin
Lynda Roberts, Registrar of Voters
Colleen Ksanda, Sr. Program Coordinator (Vote Centers / Election Workers)
Greg Hayes, Elections Logistics Manager
Welcome
Lynda Roberts opened the meeting and thanked everyone for their participation.
March Election Update
The election ran very smoothly—there were no significant issues. Marin County’s turnout was just over 53%, which was relatively low; however, the turnout statewide was low.
Election Worker / Vote Center Review
- Overall, there was a good turnout of workers that spoke Marin County’s three required languages: Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese
- Of the 145 election workers, 40 spoke Spanish, 7 spoke Chinese, and 1 spoke Vietnamese
- The number of workers that could speak Chinese significantly increased for the March election; however, it is still difficult to recruit workers who speak Vietnamese
- We had four 11-day vote centers plus sixteen 4-day vote centers and one Election Day only vote center, which was at the Albert Boro Community Center
- The Albert Boro Community Center has been an established polling place for over 20 years but was not able in March to serve as a multi-day vote center. However, the department wanted to continue serving the Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking communities in this area so set-up the vote center for Election Day only
- In order to serve the Canal community for multiple days, the department set-up a 4-day vote center at the Health and Human Services Wellness Center; the Boro Community Center remained more popular on Election Day—nearly double the number of voters used the Community Center
- The department will use both the Community Center and Wellness Center again in the November election
- If numbers of voters at the Wellness Center increase significantly in the future, the department may move away from using the Community Center since it is only available on Election Day
- Setting-up the Boro Community Center for only one day was a significant amount of work that had to be accomplished the evening before Election Day, which was the only time the room was available, but set-up went smoothly
Outreach
Outreach efforts for the March election followed the model used in the 2022 election cycle. The outreach team plans to refresh the materials for the November election.
Observers
Aashika Srinivas reported that the Asian Americans Advancing Justice / Asian Law Caucus had observers visit 20 of Marin County’s vote center locations. They found that workers were helpful and friendly, facsimile ballots were available, and the multi-lingual signs were posted. Auxiliary aides (magnifying glasses and signature guides) were readily available at about 50% of the locations. It is recommended that the aids are available so voters aren’t required to ask. Ms. Srinivas will be submitting a full report to the Elections Department.
Comments
Yolanda Barahona, Community Action Marin, reported that some people have mentioned they feel more comfortable voting because of the language assistance that is available.
Ms. Ksanda mentioned that in addition to bi-lingual workers, the department provides copies of the Easy Voter Guide that is published in Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese by the League of Women Voters.
Ms. Srinivas mentioned that AAAJ may be able to assist with finding bi-lingual workers if the department needs help.
Next Meeting
The next quarterly meeting will be July 16, 2:30 - 3:30 via Zoom.
The meeting adjourned at 3:10 p.m.
Marin County Elections Department
Language Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting (LAAC)
January 16, 2024, 2:30 p.m.
Virtual (Zoom) Meeting
Minutes
Attendees
Sietse Goffard, Asian Americans Advancing Justice / Asian Law Caucus
Aashika Srinivas, Asian Americans Advancing Justice / Asian Law Caucus
Mo de Nieva-Marsh, Community Action Marin
Yolanda Barahona, Community Action Marin
Lynda Roberts, Registrar of Voters
Danny Straub, Outreach Coordinator
Welcome
Lynda Roberts opened the meeting and thanked the members for their participation.
Outreach Events – Asian Americans Advancing Justice / Asian Law Caucus
Sietse Goffard reviewed their outreach efforts that include non-partisan workshops for community groups and nonprofits, new citizens, first time voters, people who speak different languages, and those who want to learn more about their options and rights. The AAAJ / ALC is scheduling a lot of these workshops around the area to help inform voters in a non-partisan way about what is on the ballot – it helps to break down the local candidates and issues.
The AAAJ / ALC youth workshop focused on rights to vote and history of voting rights in the country; attendees provided good feedback.
AAAJ / ALC has translated versions of “know your voting rights” documents and can help with translations. They can collaborate and adapt events to community needs. Information is on the AAAJ/ALC website.
Mo de Nieva-Marsh said Community Action Marin can also be partners in community outreach—in person and virtual.
Outreach Update
Danny Straub reviewed outreach efforts for the March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election.
- Partnering with Hearst Digital Media to display ads on popular websites, including SF Gate, in required languages (Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese). This strategy was new for the November 2022 election to help meet language-targeted outreach requirements.
- Printed material will be translated into Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese; the outreach team will canvass the county to ensure lobby materials are displayed.
- The outreach team plans to attend community events such as farmer’s markets and the Probation Department’s community check-in.
- The outreach team is working with the League of Women Voters of Marin on a registration drive in the county jail. This is a first-time effort, which will be educational and then the team will follow-up with delivering ballots.
- The second required pre-election mailer will be sent soon and will include the list of vote center and drop box locations and hours. Because this is a party-based election for presidential primary candidates, the voter’s party will be printed on the inside of the card.
- Community engagement opportunities: Attended the county’s participatory budget process event in Marin City; planning to accompany the Health & Human Services Department to meet unhoused people living at Binford Road.
- Ads are currently being displayed on buses.
- Public TV is running a PSA for nonpartisan voters to let them know about their options for voting in the primary election.
Comments
Yolanda Barahona mentioned that schools may provide outreach opportunities at family advocate meetings. School districts also have a District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC), which includes Spanish speaking families with bilingual community liaisons that work for families. Community Action Marin can discuss this at some point with the Elections Department.
Review VCA Report on Race and Ethnicity
Lynda Roberts briefly reviewed race and ethnicity data for the 2022 primary election from a report created by the University of California, Los Angeles, Voting Rights Project for the Secretary of State. The data goes to the precinct level and can be used to see which communities need to be included in designing outreach efforts.
March Election Key Dates
- January 25: Mailing of voter information guides begins
- February 5: Mailing of ballots begins
- February 5: In-person voting starts at Elections Office
- February 6: Official mail ballot drop boxes open
- February 24: Four vote centers open, including Elections Department
- March 2: Sixteen additional vote centers open
- March 5—Election Day: All 21 vote centers open
- Vote center and drop box locations and hours of operation are posted online
- All vote centers are open 7 AM to 8 PM on Election Day
- The notice for observers will be posted by the end of January
Lynda Roberts mentioned that the number of voters signed up for BallotTrax (the free ballot tracking service provided by the Secretary of State) remains at 32%. She asked for ideas about why people might not be signing up even though the department consistently promotes the service. Members suggested that many people drop their ballot in an official drop box, which gives them a sense of security about their ballot being delivered.
Student Election Ambassador Presentation
Caroline Foster, member of the Student Election Ambassador Program—a program sponsored by the Marin County Elections Department, Marin County Office of Education, and the League of Women Voters of Marin—talked about her outreach work with young people in the elementary to middle school age group.
Since the Fall of 2022, she has been making school presentations to elementary and middle school students about voting and turnout. She is looking for ways to expand the project and reach more marginalized students.
Mo de Nieva-Marsh can help Caroline or other student ambassadors connect with her network. She’s happy to meet in person or virtually to talk more about it.
Closing Remarks/Next Meeting
Lynda Roberts thanked everyone for participating. The next quarterly meeting will be April 16, 2:30 - 3:30 via Zoom.
The meeting adjourned at 3:30 p.m.