What’s the Matter with Democracy in California?

WHY PEOPLE DON’T VOTE-The result of California’s June 3rd primary election is clear: Californians are not participating in our democracy. Across the State, fewer than 25% of registered voters cast a ballot. Los Angeles County, home to more than a quarter of the State’s population, recorded a paltry 16% voter turnout.   

Media attention has focused on long lines in Florida and voter ID laws in states like Texas. Thus, few people recognize the impending threat to democracy in California.  Voter registration in California ranks an embarrassingly low 45^th in the nation, and California’s voter turnout rate puts us in the basement with states like Texas. 

What’s the matter with democracy in California? Theories abound about the root causes of the democratic crisis, but the armchair critics and pundits often miss one of the most basic problems underlying our failing democratic system. Exercising one’s right to vote – what should be one of the most patriotic and empowering experiences for every eligible citizen – is in reality an overwhelming and intimidating prospect for the majority of Californians. 

It begins with a confusing and inaccessible registration system and continues through to the lack of information on the basics of voting. There is no way to better demonstrate this than the story of Christy (I’ve changed her name to protect her privacy), a voter who faced multiple and, unfortunately, not uncommon barriers to casting a ballot on June 3^rd. 

Christy registered to vote last fall and was ready to vote for her first time in the June 3^rd primary. Excited on the morning of the election, she suddenly realized she had no idea where she was supposed to vote! Although she recalled getting a post card confirming her registration, she had not received any information about the upcoming election. 

Christy asked the ACLU for help finding her polling location. When we looked up her voter registration status we found she was not listed as registered at all, which is why she never received a sample ballot. A call to the elections official in her county revealed that Christy listed a post office box as her residence address when she registered. 

Christy is a victim of domestic violence and wanted her actual residence private – she did not know there was a process by which she could request that her actual residence address be kept private. And because you must indicate an actual residence to register to vote, her registration with her P.O. box was rejected as incomplete. 

We encouraged Christy to go to the nearest polling site and cast a provisional ballot. We assured her we would work with the elections official to correct her address and make sure her vote would be counted. But the address problem was just the first barrier for Christy. Because she was on parole until last year, Christy was only recently eligible to vote and thus had never voted in her life. She was panic stricken at the prospect of voting. “How do I vote?” she asked. “Will they ask me questions at the poll? What if I make a mistake?” 

We printed a sample ballot. We explained, page-by-page, the mechanics of voting. As she listened, tears streamed down Christy’s face. Tears of joy and amazement that by checking those little boxes she would finally have a real voice in important decisions about her community. Tears of fear, because the ballot was long and daunting and she was terrified she would make a mistake. 

Watching Christy head to the polls, I realized the time, determination, and courage it took for her to actually vote. Most people facing those barriers would never end up voting. And in the end, most Californians did not vote on June 3^rd, quite possibly due to similar challenges or fears. So the real question is this: how do we make voting less intimidating, less complicated, and less onerous for every voter? 

Online voter registration, increased language assistance, more early voting options:  these are just some examples of the ways in which California can improve the voter experience and make democracy welcoming. 

This year we have the chance to choose the state’s top elections official, the California Secretary of State, who has the power to usher in these and more reforms. It’s being hailed as the race to watch.  

But let’s also listen and make sure both candidates on November’s ballot give us a specific answer to this question: What will you do to ensure that no voter has to jump through hoops like Christy just to cast a ballot?

 

(Lori Shellenberger is the Director of the ACLU of California’s Voting Rights Project. To learn more about voting, the Secretary of State’s race and upcoming candidate forums, go to aclusandiego.org/voting,  and Tweet your questions for the Secretary of State candidates using #MySOSMyVote. 

-cw

 

 

 

 

 

 

CityWatch

Vol 12 Issue 50

Pub: June 20, 2014