Voting is one way to influence an election. Below are nine more, plus everything you need to actually go vote. Pick the action that fits your week. Section 1 is the vote tools. Sections 2 through 10 are the toolkit beyond voting.
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California Secretary of State voter status lookup. Confirms whether you are registered, your address on file, your party preference, your vote-by-mail status. Available in 10 languages including Spanish.
California's official online voter registration. The only tool that actually files your registration with the state. Spanish version plus nine other languages.
LA County uses vote centers, not precinct polling. Centers open 11 days before election day. Drop-box map also available.
Orange County Registrar of Voters. Vote centers and drop boxes. Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese materials available.
Ventura County Recorder. Vote centers and drop boxes. Materials in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Gujarati.
If you live outside LA, OC or Ventura, the state's polling-place finder routes you to your county.
Voting is one way to influence an election. It is not the only way, and for many of our neighbors it is not even available. Below are nine more, drawn from the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Toolkit to Impact Elections, organized by how much time it takes. Pick the one that fits your week.
More than 20 percent of eligible California voters did not register for the last general. The fix is not a billboard. It is the conversation you have with three people in your life. You do not need to be a citizen or registered voter to register someone else.
The fastest way to learn how elections actually work is to volunteer for one. The toolkit's worksheet is a useful starting point: name your top three issues, decide if you would rather work on a candidate or a proposition, and decide the scale (local, state, national).
Hosting a small gathering to talk about the ballot together is one of the most underrated forms of civic engagement. The toolkit's "Ballot Proposition Party" template works for a candidate forum, a coffee shop talk, or your living room.
Or come to ours: Foro Comunitario meets every Thursday in SELA. Connect with us for the meeting link.
The two weeks before June 2 are when GOTV happens. The big movement orgs (CHIRLA, ACCE, Communities for a Better Environment, the labor coalitions) are running phone banks and canvasses every weekend. Show up to one.
Roughly 3 million eligible California voters are limited English proficient. At least 220 languages are spoken across the state. In 2016, 25 percent of polling places in 17 counties were missing translated ballots required by law. If you speak a language other than English, your skill is a civic resource.
Poll workers are paid. Bilingual poll workers receive a stipend bonus. You can be a poll worker if you are a US citizen or a legal permanent resident, and if you are at least 16 (high school students count). Training is included.
Non-partisan poll monitors observe whether elections offices are complying with voting rights law: language access, disability access, provisional ballot procedures, and more. They work with poll workers and voters to fix problems in real time.
Most California counties have Language Access Advisory Committees (LAACs), Voting Accessibility Advisory Committees (VAACs), and in some counties Voter Education and Outreach Advisory Committees (VEOACs). Members review mailers, weigh in on polling-place placement, and shape outreach plans. These bodies are open to community members.
Tablero Comunitario is paid for by community donations. No campaign money, no party money, no PAC money. If this dashboard is useful to you, three ways to help:
We evaluated several third-party voter tools. Three did not pass our standards.
This guide is free. If it helps you, chip in to keep it that way.