SEPTEMBER 2020
ENGAGE! CID Newsletter
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Welcome to the September edition of Engage! |
Dear Colleagues, Partners and Friends,
In this edition of Engage, we are promoting National Voter Registration Month with upcoming events that explore voter behavior and challenges facing voters in the upcoming election. You'll also find information about past events, the launch of our Voting Location Siting Tool in five new states and applicable toolkits related to voting.
In partnership,
Mindy Romero, Ph.D.
Center of Inclusive Democracy, Director
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Voting Location Siting Tool Now Available for Texas, Arizona, Georgia and Michigan |
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Developed by the Center for Inclusive Democracy (CID) at USC, formerly the California Civic Engagement Project, this mapping tool is designed to provide assistance to county election offices in the placement of voting locations. The Voting Location Siting Tool was initially released for California in February 2018. Currently, the Siting Tool is available for Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan and Texas. The North Carolina Voting Location Siting Tool will be available this Friday, September 18th.
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Voter Messaging in the Time of COVID 19: Survey Report
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The Center for Inclusive Democracy at the USC Price School of Public Policy and Future of California Elections have partnered on a new research survey report titled: Voter Messaging in the Time of COVID-19. The survey examines the timely opinions of eligible voters in California and the likelihood of their electoral participation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click below for the report and its two-page summary. |
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How Greater Vote-by-Mail Influences California Voter Turnout |
Authored by Eric McGhee, Jennifer Paluch, and Dr. Mindy Romero, this report analyzes voter behavior under universal vote-by-mail in 15 California counties. It identifies the overall effect on turnout and highlights groups that have struggled more under the system and so may need more outreach this fall. |
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Improving California’s Vote-by-Mail Process by Reducing Ballot Rejection: A Three-County Study
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This three county study authored by Kim Alexander, president and founder of the California Voter Foundation, and CID's Dr. Mindy Romero, examines ballot rejection in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sacramento counties’ November 2018 election. |
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October 5th
University Forum: Elections: What Are They Good For? Democracy, Dilemmas & Decisions
This virtual event will examine how demographic changes, specifically within the Latino population, have shifted politically in California. The event will also discuss research models of integrated voter engagement linking voting and community work.
Panelists:
Veronica Terriquez, UC Santa Cruz Professor
Randy Villegas, UC Santa Cruz PhD student
Martin Higuera, Activist
Moderator: Chris Benner, Director of the Institute for Social Transformation and Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology
Time: 5:30 p.m.
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October 6th
Diversity Among California Elected Officials
This virtual event will examine what has worked in motivating diverse candidates to run for office, what obstacles they might face and how they engage with voters to stand out. The event will be streamed on the Sacramento Bee's website. Additional panelists to be announced.
Panelists:
Dr. Mindy Romero, Director, Center for Inclusive Democracy, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
Moderator: Kim Bojórquez, Reporter, Sacramento Bee
Time: 11:45 a.m.
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September 10th
How Greater Vote-By-Mail Influences California Turnout
This webinar, hosted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), discussed how outreach by trusted messengers may help in targeting low-turnout groups. PPIC Senior Research Fellow, Eric McGhee and Director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy, Mindy Romero presented key findings on how voters reacted to the Voter’s Choice Act.
Panelists:
Eric McGhee, Senior Research Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California
Mindy Romero, Director, Center for Inclusive Democracy, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
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September 9th
Activist Charles Munger, Jr.: Political Reforms That Work
This webinar was hosted by the Commonwealth Club of California, featuring Charles Munger, Jr. PhD. and was moderated by Dr. Mindy Romero. Dr. Munger shared his thoughts on the power of political reform in the world today.
Speaker:
Charles Munger Jr. PhD, Physicist, Stanford Linear Accelerator; Republican Activist; Recipient, 2016 Commonwealth Club Distinguished Citizen Award
Moderator: Dr. Mindy Romero, Director, Center for Inclusive Democracy, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
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September 8th
Two Months to Election Day - Are We Prepared?
This webinar brought together experts on elections and election law to consider whether the United States is prepared to run a fair, safe, and legitimate election process in the midst of the pandemic. Among the topics for discussion were the role of absentee voting, social media and election misinformation, and voter confidence in the election process.
Panelists:
Julia Azari, Associate Professor and Assistant Chair, Marquette University
Mindy Romero, Founder and Director, Center for Inclusive Democracy
Moderator:
Rick Hasen, Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science, UCI Law
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Election 2020 Social Media Toolkit |
Future of California Elections has released the Election 2020 Social Media Toolkit and FAQ. These two resources containing custom graphics and plain language messaging to help voters learn about voting in a pandemic and where to get information about voting in their community. |
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National Voter Registration Day Toolkits and Resources |
The National Voter Registration Day organization compiled toolkits and resources for national and local organizations. Items include communications and field organizers toolkits, guide to online voter registration tools and a sample press release. |
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Voting in California Jails, A Community Toolkit |
Understanding Californians’ voting preferences, given the public health threat of the COVID-19 virus, is essential to creating effective public education strategies. The results of a study, conducted in partnership with the Future of California Elections (FoCE), will be used to develop and launch educational resources. These resources can be used to help guide election officials and non-profit organizations on the best practices in conveying current and up-to-date information to voters.
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Language Rights in Voting |
"Voting can be a complicated process for anyone. For citizens whose first language is not English, the process is even more difficult to navigate." Asian Americans Advancing Justice compiled resources for U.S. citizens whose primary language is not English.
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Dr. Mindy Romero talks to Euronews about the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
Dr. Mindy Romero talks to USC News about the postal service and vote by mail.
Dr. Mindy Romero quoted about changes that may occur in the upcoming general election.
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Share Your Democracy Research with the CID |
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Please send your short write-up to Veronica Perry at vmperry@usc.edu for consideration. Please note that the CID is now housed at the USC Price School of Public Policy in Sacramento. Thanks for reading and staying engaged! |
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Center for Inclusive Democracy |
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The Center for Inclusive Democracy (CID), formerly known as the California Civic Engagement Project (CCEP), is part of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and is based in Sacramento. CID conducts a range of national and multi-state research initiatives exploring voting behavior, civic engagement, electoral and economic research, the intersection of social justice and democracy, and more. Its research informs and empowers a wide range of policy and organizing efforts aimed at eliminating disparities in social and economic well-being. Now a cornerstone project nested within CID’s larger umbrella, the CCEP continues to produce groundbreaking resources and research for California.
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