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The California Civic Engagement Project (CCEP)
at the UC Davis Center for Regional Change
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Engage!
CCEP Newsletter
November 7, 2016
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Welcome to the Election Day eve edition of Engage! While 42 million people have already cast their ballots, tomorrow is the Tuesday when Americans go to the polls. (Did you ever wonder WHY we vote on a Tuesday?) We are excited to learn the results, and to see if California's voting electorate will be more representative.
We are also excited to invite you to check out and 'like' our brand new CCEP Facebook Page, and our YouTube Channel! CCEP is expanding our capacity to share timely information with a growing audience on multiple platforms in a variety of formats. You can also follow us and Tweet our way on Twitter. Finally, we invite you to explore our newly re-imagined CCEP website.
In this edition of the CCEP newsletter, we provide you with a variety of useful last-minute Election Day resources, share some upcoming events and recent CCEP presentations, welcome a new advisory committee member, shine a spotlight on voter education and engagement efforts, and explore the ongoing national fight to protect voting rights.
Thank you for reading, and please note you are invited to share your civic engagement success stories with us via the email link at the bottom of this newsletter. We would love to hear what is happening in your community related to inclusive civic engagement!
Mindy Romero, Ph.D.
CCEP Director
Follow us on Twitter!
 Like us on Facebook!
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11th Hour Election Day Resources
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Voter Education Resources
Are you still sorting out your position on one of the many propositions or down ballot races?
Here are some nonpartisan, trusted resources to help you become a more knowledgeable voter:
- The Voter's Edge (League of Women Voters of California Education Fund, The California Civic Engagement Project and Maplight)
- The Easy Voter Guide (League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and The California State Library)
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"Power of the Youth Vote" Cited as Important TEDx Talk to Watch Before you Cast Your Vote
Share this short video with some young people in your life. #BeTheSpark
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LatinoJustice PRLDEF Launches New Smartphone Voter Protection App
LatinoJustice PRLDEF has launched a new smartphone voter protection app tied to a broader Cada Voto Cuenta Voter Protection project
to help citizens report voting rights violations while voting in the 2016 elections, in California and nationally.
The app will allow voters to report voting rights violations they might encounter on Election Day. The voter will open the app and fill out a report that will be immediately sent to LatinoJustice for legal voting rights review.
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SeePolitical Cartoons Provide Quick and Entertaining Take on State Propositions
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California Civic Engagement News
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Dr. Romero Addresses Sacramento City Council Regarding Politically Vulnerable Communities
Dr. Romero was invited to address the Sacramento City Council at their regular meeting last week. She presented CCEP research illustrating stark differences in voter turnout and community outcomes in different parts of the Sacramento area. Her presentation was summarized in a
November 3 article published in the Sacramento Bee. Univision also featured Dr. Romero's presentation in their evening and nightly news for the region.
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CCEP Launches New Platform Mapping California's Areas of Political Vulnerability
The California Civic Engagement Project recently launched a new GIS mapping tool in collaboration with the Office of the California Secretary of State. This i
nteractive web platform maps the relationship between low voter turnout and the economic, educational and health challenges faced by communities in our state. We invite you to explore it for yourself!
To learn more, read this
editorial published by Dr. Romero in the Oct. 30th Sacramento Bee, and see the
press release from the Secretary of State's Office.
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Advisory Committee Update
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Shakari Byerly Joins CCEP Advisory Committee
We would like to welcome and thank
Shakari Byerly for joining the CCEP Advisory Committee. Ms. Byerly is a Partner and Principal Researcher at EVITARUS, a Los Angeles-based public opinion research and public policy consulting firm. She has nearly 20 years of experience in public opinion research, with a focus on California governance and political reform.
Ms. Byerly is a National Research Council Ford Foundation Fellow, a University of California Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellow, an American Political Science Association (APSA) Fellow, and a Fellow at the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California (USC).
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California Community Engagement Spotlight
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Mutual Housing California Prepares Residents to Vote
Mutual Housing provides housing for modest income families in California. They are working to engage more Californians in our electoral process by helping their members understand the complex and numerous propositions on the general election ballot. The nonprofit held voter education training at each of their 19 communities to clarify the relevance of voting for their residents, and to help them knowledgeably navigate this year's lengthy ballot. Residents talked about improvements they felt are needed to improve their lives.
Community organizers also led residents in discussions about the 17 statewide propositions using the nonpartisan "
Easy Voter Guide
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The residents who took part said that these 30 minute workshops made them feel more motivated to vote. Local grassroots efforts like this are helping to make California's voting electorate more representative and robust.
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UC Davis Students Register Over 1000 Young Voters!
Young people are among the most underrepresented groups in California's electorate. CALPIRG Students led a successful two week effort to register more young people to vote around the state, including at UC Davis, where the CCEP is based. Working in partnership with ASUCD and five other student organizations, student volunteers helped over 1000 UC Davis students register to vote or update their voter information during the registration drive. CALPIRG is now keeping in touch with the students they registered to make sure they have a plan to get out and vote on or before Election Day. The goal is to close the voting participation gap for young people in California, and to make sure every college student is
#RegisteredandReady! Check out the CALPIRG Students UC Davis website for more information.
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Yolo County Youth Presidential Elections Bash 11/8
The Yolo County Elections Office is hosting an event on Election Day
for all Yolo County Youth to go behind the scenes and learn about the voting process.
This free family friendly event will feature music, food and fun. It will be held on Election Day
(Tuesday November 8th) from 5-8 PM at 624 Court St. in Woodland.
There will be guided tours of the Elections Office to see how votes are processed, and streaming live election returns coverage. For more information visit
www.yoloyouthrally.com
or call 530-661-5988.
The Elections Bash is a non-partisan event that will not endorse any candidate or position. It is a strictly educational event with an element of fun!
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2016 Election Post-Mortem Conference in Sacramento 11/10
Capitol Weekly and the UC Center are hosting a one day conference titled
A Post-Mortem of the 2016 Election
on Thursday, November 10th in Sacramento. The event will be held from 9 AM until 3:30 PM at 1123 J St.
Immediately following the conference will be a welcome reception for new legislators, which is free to all conference attendees. This will be the first time that California's new legislature will be convening for an event.
Speakers include George Skelton (LA Times), Debra Saunders (SF Chronicle), Mike Madrid (Grassroots Lab), Cynthia Bryant (California Republican Party), Jim Miller and Amy Chance (Sacramento Bee), and CCEP Director Mindy Romero.
For Registration information contact Kathy Brown at (916) 444-7665 or kathy.brown@capitolweekly.net.
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Media Briefing: The 2016 Latino Vote
Dr. Romero will be presenting via satellite at the November 10th
William C. Velasquez Institute Media Briefing on the Latino Vote in 2016. The briefing is titled, "Results and Policy Implications at the Federal, State and Local Level." It will be held from 9 to 11 AM at 2914 Main St. in Los Angeles.
For more information, contact Antonio Gonzalez at 323-332-6160.
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CCEP to Educate High School Youth about 2016 Election
Dr. Romero has been invited to present a debrief on the 2016 election to over 3,100 engaged high school students from across California on November 12th at the California YMCA Youth & Government conference.
Dr. Romero is thrilled for the opportunity to discuss the importance of voting with so many young Californians. The event will be held at the Fresno Convention Center. Registration is closed for this event and it is not open to the public.
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Dr. Romero to Address County of Los Angeles Staff
Dr. Romero has been invited to give a keynote presentation at a retreat for County of Los Angles Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations staff on December 7th. Dr. Romero will speak on the topic of her recent LA Times Op-Ed piece, the Latino vote and how Latino legislators are changing California's politics.
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National Civic Engagement News
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Legal Fights Over Voter Rights Continue
The legal fight to preserve voting rights in the wake of the 2013 Supreme Court ruling that limited the power of the Voting Rights Act is ongoing. Last week, a federal judge barred three counties in North Carolina from removing thousands of voters from the rolls whose eligibility had been challenged. The NAACP brought the case to court, charging that the purging of voter rolls was an attempt at voter suppression aimed primarily at African-Americans.
On the same day, a judge in Ohio banned presidential campaign operatives from intimidating voters at the polls, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overturned an Arizona state law that had banned third parties from collecting absentee ballots. Read more at the
New York Times.
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Dr. Romero Addresses Latino Roundtable Hosted by La Familia Counseling Center
CCEP Director Mindy Romero was a featured speaker at the Latino Community Roundtable hosted by Familia Counseling Center on October 23rd in Sacramento. She spoke about Latino Voter trends and political under-representation.
Also speaking at the event was Matt Cervantes,
Associate Director of Health Programs at the Sierra Health Foundation.
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CCEP Outreach: In the Media
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CCEP Director Quoted in Rolling Stone Article
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Dr. Romero Predicts High Latino Turnout in Upcoming Election
An article published late last month in the Los Angeles Times on the Latino vote in California featured election analysis from CCEP Director Mindy Romero. In the article, titled "
Latinos in California have one big reason to go to the polls: Donald Trump," Romero says Trump's comments on Mexican immigrants will prompt Latino voters in California to vote in tomorrow's election.
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Dr. Romero Weighs in on Growing Number of Tech Companies Helping Voters Get to the Polls
An article published Friday in the Financial Times about tech companies encouraging and helping people to vote features some words of caution from Dr. Romero.
"We should be monitoring and holding organisations that do this sort of work accountable," said Mindy Romero, who leads the California Civic Engagement Project at UC Davis. "Where they are unbiased and it is about opening up access, they should be praised ... But we should make sure their efforts are not violating our principles of an open democratic process."
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Dr. Romero Featured in Sacramento Bee Article on Early Voter Turnout
An article published last month in the Sacramento Bee on the large numbers of early ballots being returned in California featured analysis from CCEP Director Mindy Romero. Early voters are more likely to be among the most engaged in the political process, according to Dr. Romero. Some of them are enthusiastic about candidates, while others are motivated by negative feelings.
Read the article here.
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Dr. Romero Discusses Historical Context for Mudslinging by Campaigns
A piece produced by ABC 10 News on the historical context of mudslinging in the current presidential race featured an interview with CCEP Director Mindy Romero. She discussed precedents for the negative campaigning we have witnessed over the past year. "Remember," said Dr. Romero... "in politics, if it works it is going to get replicated."
View the video here.
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California Voters May Be Too Scared to Stay Home
A November 5 article in the San Jose Mercury News predicts high levels of voter turnout in California tomorrow.
The article cites fear and spite as primary motivating factors for voters in the Golden State.
"I think there is a sense for a lot of people that there is something at stake in a different kind of way," says Dr. Romero in the article, postulating that the negative tone of the campaign and feelings that voters have for the presidential candidates will not dampen participation.
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Why Americans with Disabilities Struggle to Vote
A
short video news segment produced October 28th by Vox Media takes a thoughtful look at why Americans with disabilities still struggle to vote. The piece features commentary by CCEP Director Mindy Romero. "The disabled community wants to be seen voting and represented, but they do have lower turnout levels," said Dr. Romero. The video explores obstacles to voting for disabled Americans, possible ways to overcome these obstacles and the impact that it could have on our electorate if voting became accessible to more disabled people.
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Employment & Internship Opportunities
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San Francisco Ethics Commission Hiring
The San Francisco Ethics Commission is hiring a Senior Policy Analyst and an Education and Compliance Assistant. In addition, they anticipate posting announcements soon for two Investigator/Legal Analyst positions.
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CROP seeking Spanish Speaking Organizer
The Capital Region Organizing Project, or CROP, is seeking a half time Spanish Speaking organizer to work in the Sacramento Region. CROP is affiliated with the faith-based community organizing group Gamaliel.
To apply, contact Nailah Pope-Harden at nailahph@gmail.com or call 916-501-5941.
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Future of California Elections Hiring in January
Our partners at the Future of California Elections are seeking qualified candidates to fill two positions this January. Both the Temporary Deputy Director and Temporary Project Coordinator positions are based in Los Angeles.
Click here to view the full job postings and to apply.
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Maddy Institute Legislative Scholar Program
The Maddy Institute
was established to engage, prepare and inspire the next generation of government leaders and civil servants.
The Institute's government intern program offers
university students the opportunity to work in federal and state legislative offices in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, as well as local government offices throughout the San Joaquin Valley.
Applicants must be at least a Junior in standing at a College or University or be a graduate student and must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. To learn more, visit the Maddy Institute website. Applications must be received by Friday, December 2nd.
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Share Your Civic Engagement Story with the CCEP
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Are you working to promote inclusive civic engagement? Do you have a civic engagement success story to share? Share your story with CCEP and you could be featured in an upcoming issue of Engage! Please send your short write-up to Greg Keidan at gkedian@ucdavis.edu for consideration.
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UC Davis California Civic Engagement Project
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Kim Alexander
President and Founder
California Voter Foundation
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Matt A. Barreto
Professor, Dept. of Political Science
Professor, Dept. of Chicana/o Studies
University of California, Los Angeles
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Jonathan Fox
Professor,
School of International Service
American University
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Luis R. Fraga
Arthur Foundation Endowed Professor of Transformative Latino Leadership
Professor of Political Science University of Notre Dame
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Lisa Garcia Bedolla
Chancellor's Professor of Education and Political Science
University of California, Berkeley
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Bruce Haynes
Associate Professor, Dept. of Sociology University of California, Davis
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Jongho Lee
Professor
Dept. of Political Science
Western Illinois University
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Peter Levine
Associate Dean for Research and Lincoln Filene Professor of Citizenship & Public Affairs,
Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts University
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Matt Mahan
Cofounder and CEO
Brigade
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James Muldavin
Executive Director
California Center for Civic Participation and Youth Development
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Karthick Ramakrishnan
Professor of Public Policy
University of California, Riverside
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Ricardo Ramirez
Associate Professor, Dept. of Political Science
University of Notre Dame
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Director of Research
Kirwan Institute
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Cruz Reynoso
Professor of Law Emeritus
University of California, Davis
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Dan Schnur
Director
Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics
University of Southern California
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Shakari Byerly
Partner and Lead Researcher
EVITARUS
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California Civic Engagement Project
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The California Civic Engagement Project (CCEP) is housed at the UC Davis Center for Regional Change and was established to inform the public dialogue on representative governance in California. The CCEP is engaging in pioneering research to identify disparities in civic participation across place and population. It is well positioned to inform and empower a wide range of policy and organizing efforts in California to reduce disparities in state and regional patterns of well-being and opportunity. Key audiences include public officials, advocacy groups, political researchers and communities themselves.
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UC Davis Center for Regional Change
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The UC Davis Center for Regional Change (CRC). The CRC is a catalyst for innovative, collaborative, and action-oriented research. It brings together faculty and students from different disciplines, and builds bridges between university, policy, advocacy, business, philanthropy and other sectors. The CRC's goal is to support the building of healthy, equitable, prosperous, and sustainable regions in California and beyond.
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