Secretary of State Alex Padilla Signs MOU with Cal State Long Beach Encouraging Student Voter Registration
|
|
Secretary of State Alex Padilla visited Long Beach State University where he participated in a student roundtable and signed a memorandum of understanding to promote student voter registration on campus.
During the event, roundtable participants discussed ways the state can collaborate with the campus to encourage civic engagement amongst the more than 37,000 students who attend Long Beach State.
“The sooner we engage young people, the more likely they will be active voters for years to come,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. “I’m excited to partner with Long Beach State University to reach students directly on campus and empower them to become participants in our democracy.”
“Long Beach State University is strongly committed to encouraging civic engagement among students,” says Close-Conoley. “Our Partnership with the Secretary of State’s office will ensure that every student on campus has access to the information they need to properly register to vote and engage in all aspects of democracy.”
Notable coverage:
|
|
Secretary Padilla Joined Facebook, Twitter, and Google to Discuss Civic Engagement and Social Media Best Practices in Washington D.C.
|
|
Secretary Padilla discussed California’s efforts to increase voter participation and safeguard elections. The recently passed state budget included $134.3 million for counties to upgrade and replace aging voting systems. An additional $3 million will allow the Secretary of State to establish new Offices of Elections Cybersecurity and Enterprise Risk Management to improve risk assessment and threat mitigation as well as combat misinformation seeking to undermine our democracy. These offices will develop immediate information-correction campaigns, better outreach to communities in rural and urban areas, and assist county elections officials and voters with up-to-date information about potential threats.
|
|
Secretary of State Alex Padilla Certifies New LA County Vote Tally System; California's First Open-Sourced Election Technology
|
|
Secretary Padilla
certified Los Angeles County’s Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) Tally Version 1.0, making it the first publicly-owned, open-source election tally system certified under the California voting systems standards.
“With security on the minds of elections officials and the public, open-source technology has the potential to further modernize election administration, security, and transparency,” said Secretary of State Alex Padilla. “Los Angeles County’s VSAP vote tally system is now California’s first certified election system to use open-source technology. This publicly-owned technology represents a significant step in the future of elections in California and across the country.”
The certification of the VSAP Tally solution now allows Los Angeles County to move forward with its newly redesigned VSAP Vote by Mail (VBM) ballots for the November 6, 2018 General Election.
|
|
Secretary of State Padilla Invites California Schools to Participate in the Student Mock Election
|
|
Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson invite high school and middle school students, teachers and principals to participate in the
California Student Mock Election
, which will take place on October 9, 2018, for the Gubernatorial General Election.
“I invite educators throughout California to partner with our office and inspire a new generation of active citizens,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. “The student mock election will help young people discover that democracy flourishes when we all participate. As students learn about candidates and issues, they learn firsthand how government and politics affect their lives. They experience how citizens make their voice heard in our democracy, and learn the power of their votes when they are joined by
thousands of their fellow students across California.”
The Secretary of State’s office has launched a revamped
student mock election website
, with a new promotional video, resources for students and educators, and easy online registration to participate. All schools that register by September 18, 2018, will receive printed ballots, posters, “I Voted” stickers, and other materials by mail. Ballots and posters will be available to print on the Student Mock Election website for schools that register after September 18, 2018.
|
|
California State Archives Marks 98 Years of the Women's Suffrage Movement in California With Newly Digitized Records
|
|
This August marked 98 years since the 19
th
Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified and formally adopted, giving women the right to vote. To celebrate this anniversary the California State Archives has launched a new digital compilation of records relating to the women’s suffrage movement in California. This is the first time that these records have been compiled into a publicly available digital compilation.
“The adoption of the 19
th
Amendment is the moment that the right to vote finally included women, but the struggle for suffrage took years,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. “This movement is an integral part of our democracy’s history and must not be forgotten. The State Archives has digitized records that tell the story of the suffrage movement in California, from 19
th
Century efforts to give women the right to vote in state elections to California’s role in passing the 19
th
Amendment.”
The records featured in this collection highlight suffragette efforts in California, including:
- Petitions to the 1879 California Constitutional Convention for women’s suffrage
- Suffrage movement campaign materials
- Elections materials related to SCA 8, which gave women the right to vote in California state elections 8 years before the 19thAmendment was passed.
California’s women’s suffrage campaign inspired other states to join the movement, and, nearly a decade after women won the right to vote in California, women were granted the right to vote nationally with the official adoption of the 19
th
Amendment on August 26
th
, 1920. August 26 is now recognized as Women’s Equality Day.
|
|
California Senate Approved Every Vote Counts Act to Give Voters the Opportunity to Correct Mismatched Mail Ballots
|
|
Earlier this month, the California State Senate approved SB 759, the Every Vote Counts Act authored by Senator Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) and sponsored by Secretary of State Alex Padilla. SB 759 will provide voters an opportunity to verify or correct signature mismatches on their mail ballots. The bill received bipartisan support, passing on a 27-11 vote.
“A vibrant democracy requires that voters have faith in our electoral system," said Secretary Padilla. “Our signatures may change over time, but that shouldn’t jeopardize our right to have our votes counted. SB 759 will provide voters an opportunity to correct a signature mismatch on their mail ballot, so they can be assured that their votes are counted. SB 759 is also critical to ensuring that California voters can take full advantage of the conveniences of voting by mail.”
A voter’s signature on their vote by mail ballot may not match their signature on their vote-by-mail application or voter registration. For many, signatures change over time. Voters with disabilities or unexpected injuries and health issues may have trouble signing their ballot properly. SB 759 requires elections officials to notify voters of mismatched signatures at least 8 days prior to the certification of an election. Ballots would be counted by elections officials if a signature verification statement is returned no later than 5:00 p.m. two days prior to the certification of the election.
|
|
Secretary Padilla Urges State Political Parties to Take Proactive Steps to Reduce Risks of Cyberattacks
|
|
California Secretary of State sent a letter to the state's political party chairpersons to remind them, their party and their party's candidates to be alert and take proactive steps to reduce their risk of being a victim of a cyberattack. The letter was sent in response to recent reports of some political campaigns being targeted by spear phishing and other attacks.
The letter included recognized best practices in approaching cybersecurity, as well as
The Cybersecurity Campaign Playbook
, published the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, which state party officials may find useful.
|
|
Secretary Padilla's Statement on Stalling of Secure Elections Act
|
|
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla issued the following the statement on the bipartisan Secure Elections Act.
“Congress has the opportunity and responsibility to pass the Secure Elections Act and make the first major investment in election security and administration in more than 15 years. I am troubled by reports out of Washington suggesting that the Act will be watered down or stalled as a result of partisanship. Election security is a matter of national security and should not be treated as a partisan issue.”
“Earlier this week,
I sent a letter
outlining my concerns that the most recent markup of the Act contained no funding for state and local elections officials to further strengthen cybersecurity. The latest markup also misguidedly removes the requirement for a manual tally of paper ballots during post-election audits, instead allowing machine audits of machine tallied results. Given the cyber threats to our voting systems, only audits of physical, paper ballots can provide the security we need and the confidence voters deserve to have in the accuracy and integrity of election results. That policy has served California well for more than a decade, and it should be a national standard.”
“Ensuring the integrity of our elections is at the very foundation of our democracy. State and local elections officials are doing our part to protect and secure our elections. We need Congress to do theirs.”
|
|
November 6, 2018 General Election is 49 Days Away!
|
|
The November 6, 2018 General Election is 49 days away! Need to register to vote? Want to check your voter registration status? We can help.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
