Monday, September 23, 2024
The Yolo County Elections Office and the Yolo County Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC) will hold the inaugural Voter Education Workshop on Wednesday, Oct. 2, starting at 6 p.m. in the Blanchard Room at the Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library, located at 315 E. 14th St. in Davis.
Workshop participants will learn all the ways Yolo County voters can get, mark and return ballots and how voters can get notified when their ballot is mailed, received and counted. Voters will also learn about accommodations available to allow voters with disabilities and other access and functional needs to vote privately and independently.
The workshop will be of interest to voters with and without disabilities, as well as future voters who are not yet 18.
VAAC chair Kate Laddish said, “We’ll have answers to common questions, such as how to get a replacement ballot if you spill coffee on the one mailed to you, and what to do if you’re worried that how you sign your vote-by-mail ballot envelope will be too different from your signature on file to be accepted.”
“We’re particularly excited about a ‘petting zoo’ of accessible voting machines,” said Laddish. “We’ll have several Verity Touch Writers, which are ballot-marking devices that have multiple ways to accommodate the needs of in-person voters with vision or dexterity disabilities. People will have a chance to practice using a Touch Writer ahead of using one at a Vote Center, or just to better understand the tools Yolo County uses to accommodate voters’ needs.”
Every California voter will be mailed a ballot. The Nov. 5 election will be the first presidential general election since Yolo County adopted a Voter’s Choice Act model of administering elections, which includes in-person voting options before and on Election Day and other innovations.
Yolo County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters Jesse Salinas said, “Yolo County adopted the Voter's Choice Act (VCA) in 2022, modernizing how we conduct elections. The VCA provides more days and ways to vote.”
“This Voter Education Workshop will help voters understand all of the options available for how to make their voice heard.”
The Blanchard Room and Davis Branch Library are accessible for people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices. Handouts will be available in large print for voters with low vision. To accommodate the needs of people with chemical sensitivities, attendees are asked to refrain from wearing perfume, cologne and other scented products.
Light refreshments will be served.
Use of library meeting rooms does not constitute an endorsement by the Yolo County Library.
For more information about Yolo County Elections, visit elections.yolocounty.gov. For questions about the event or to request an accommodation, email elections@yolocounty.gov.
The Yolo County Elections Office encourages residents to connect with Yolo County ACE – Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/Elections on Facebook: @YoloACE, Instagram: @YoloCoACE, Threads: @YoloCoACE, YouTube: @Yolo County ACE, TikTok: @yolocoace and X:@YoloCoACE to receive the most up to date information.
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