CID Gears Up for the 2024 Elections, Readies Research and Voting Support Tools

As the 2024 elections get underway, the need for voter education, engagement and outreach to all communities will be critical, and an essential component of fostering a healthy and truly representative democracy.

Our goal at CID is to do whatever possible to provide the data-driven tools and research needed by both election officials and community advocacy groups to help inform election decision-making, as well as maximize voter outreach efforts.

On the research front, CID will be rolling out a new nationwide Voter Turnout Study in January 2024. Currently underway, the study will explore the changing demographic landscape in every state, and provide an up-to-date profile of Latino, Asian American and Black voting power throughout the U.S., among its other findings and projections.

CID has also been updating its Voting Location and Outreach Tool with data from the most recent elections. This interactive web-based mapping system has become an important tool for communities and election officials to use when siting voting locations (polls, ballot drop boxes, etc.), as well as for conducting more effective, hyper-targeted voter outreach and education.

The Voting Location and Outreach Tool is currently available in 14 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Stay tuned for more CID research and voting tool updates as the 2024 elections draw nearer.

On Nov. 2, CID’s Mindy Romero was officially named as a National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) fellow in a ceremony in Washington DC. 

NAPA fellows are individuals recognized for their contribution to the field of public administration and for helping advance the Academy’s vision - a just, fair, and inclusive government that strengthens communities and protects democracy.

Academy fellows include public managers and scholars, business executives and labor leaders, current and former cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors, state legislators and diplomats.

Register Now: CID Legislative Briefing - Language Access in California Elections Dec. 4

CID continues its series of legislative briefings at the California State Capitol focused on the state’s changing electorate, and issues impacting voter access, equity and engagement. In partnership with the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, the fifth briefing – Language Access in California's Elections – will be held Dec. 4. 

Panelist from Common Cause, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus, and Council on American-Islamic Relations Sacramento Valley/Central California will explore the impact of language access provisions on the state’s diverse immigrant population, including issues affecting the voting process for those who are limited-English proficient. 

The in-person event will be held in the California State Capitol Room 126, but also broadcast on Zoom and Facebook Live here.

Artificial Intelligence & Elections

A new Berkeley IGS Poll has found that less than one year from the 2024 presidential contest, 84% of California voters overall are concerned about the dangers that disinformation, deepfakes and artificial intelligence pose to next year’s elections.

Another 87% agree that technology companies and social media platforms should be required to clearly label deep fakes and AI-generated audio, video and images that appear on their websites.

New Institute Launched

On Nov. 7, California Common Cause launched a groundbreaking new institute to combat the dangers of AI and disinformation on democracy.

The California Institute for Technology and Democracy (CITED) will bring together thought leaders in technology, law, public policy, civil rights, civic engagement and academia to pioneer pragmatic, high-impact, state-level solutions to fight new digital threats to elections and democracy.

An appeals court has struck down a key path for enforcing the Voting Rights Act

This month, a federal appeals court struck down a key path for enforcing the Voting Rights Act. The ruling focused on an Arkansas redistricting lawsuit about the right to sue to enforce key provisions of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling may lead to a U.S. Supreme court battle that could further limit the reach of the Act’s protections for people of color. 

Election officials stock up on naloxone after fentanyl-laced letters disrupt vote count

Harking back to the anthrax attacks of 2001, suspicious letters were sent to vote centers and government buildings in six states this month, some containing traces of fentanyl or white powder, accompanied by not-so-veiled threats and dubious political symbols. The mailings are prompting elections officials already frustrated with ongoing harassment and threats to reach out to their local police, fire and health departments for help stocking up on the overdose reversal medication naloxone.

Newsweek

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has more support from Generation Z than either President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump, according to a recent New York Times/Siena College poll. CID’s Romero weighed in, cautioning that the very early poll likely had little to do with Kennedy’s policy positions, and more to do with name recognition. “There's a lot to learn about who he is and what he stands for," she said, adding that younger voters typically follow elections once they get closer.

KQED

Voting experts predict that Latino voter turnout will be a deciding factor in the upcoming U.S. Senate race in California, but also acknowledge that Latinos often don’t vote proportionate to their population. One reason, CID’s Mindy Romero told KQED, is the historical and current lack of outreach from political campaigns. To engage Latino voters, “you need to make the case and build trust and use trusted messengers,” she said. “We still don’t see candidates doing it, or at least not in a sustained way.”

LAist

In this article about how Latinos took a big financial hit during the pandemic, CID’s Romero points out that it is going to be more difficult for Latinos to bounce back economically. Despite a declining poverty rate and a growing Latino middle class, challenges of upward mobility remain, she said, given Latinos’ uneven access to banking and credit, a persistent education gap, and a lack of generational wealth.