California voting issues

Election and registration information

 * California election and voter information from the California Secretary of State.


 * Find your polling place.

"Disability Rights California’s hotline is equipped to receive voice and TDD calls, and will be staffed from 7 am to 8 pm on November 4th. The toll-free number for voice calls is: 800-776-5746. The toll-free number for TDD calls is: 800-719-5798. Individuals who speak languages other than English should state their language and an interpreter will be connected to the call. Callers who wish to use the California Relay Service, Speech to Speech Service or Video Relay can dial 711."
 * Disability Rights California is sponsoring a toll-free hotline for voters with disabilities who have difficulty accessing polling places, casting ballots or general questions about the voting process.

2008 election
For the 2008 election California used the following voting machines. For a county-by-county list of the specific machines (and the source for this section) see Verified Voting's Verifier tool.

Direct-Recording Electronic (DRE) machines with a paper trail:
 * Premier Election Solutions' (Diebold) AccuVote-TSX
 * Sequoia Voting Systems AVC Edge II
 * Hart Intercivic eSlate 3000

Optical scan machines:
 * Premier Election Solutions' (Diebold) AccuVote-OS
 * Election Systems & Software Model 100
 * Sequoia Voting Systems Optech Insight
 * DFM Mark-A-Vote
 * Diebold AccuVote (including Diebold AccuVote ES-2000)
 * Hart InterCivic Ballot Now
 * Sequioia Optech 400C central ballot counters

Assistive Devices for Marking Paper Ballots:
 * Election Systems & Software's AutoMARK Technical Systems AutoMARK VAT
 * Unisyn Voting Solutions InkaVote and InkaVote Plus

Governmental election authorities
Secretary of State: Debra Bowen

Contact Information:
 * California Secretary of State
 * 1500 11th Street
 * Sacramento, California 95814
 * General Information: (916) 653-6814

Elections Division:
 * Phone: (916) 657-2166
 * Fax: (916) 653-3214
 * TDD Only - No Charge To Calling Party: (800) 833-8683
 * Voter Fraud Hotline: (800) 345-8683 / (800) 345-VOTE


 * E-Mail: [mailto:elections@sos.ca.gov elections@sos.ca.gov]
 * or email using the online form.

Election threats
"'It is a bait-and-switch scheme familiar to elections experts. The firm hired by the California Republican Party -- a small company called Young Political Majors, or YPM, which operates in several states -- has been accused of using the tactic across the country. Elections officials and lawmakers have launched investigations into the activities of YPM staff in Florida and Massachusetts. In Arizona, the firm was recently a defendant in a civil rights lawsuit'"
 * Voters contend they were duped into registering as Republicans


 * The owner of Young Political Majors (YPM), a firm that the California Republican Party hired to register tens of thousands of voters this year, was arrested in Ontario California on suspicion of voter registration fraud.

"'...Nevada County Elections prohibits photography, videography, audio-recording or interviews in polling places unless they are conducted by credentialed media organizations who have received prior permission from the Registrar of Voters and who receives permission for their activities from every single person in the polling place,” [Clerk-Recorder Gregory ] Diaz wrote."
 * "Video the vote" actions banned in Nevada County (not a "threat" per se, but mildly disturbing, given past election history in this county)

Voting machine verification and security

 * For an extensive log of voting machine problems, see the VotersUnite! report on election incidents.

State and local non-governmental organizations
California Election Protection Network
 * Website: http://www.califelectprotect.net (apparently not updated since 2006)

Californians for Electoral Reform


 * Description: Californians for Election Reform (CfER) is a nonpartisan coalition of Californians who believe that all citizens deserve equal and satisfactory representation in government. The organization works to promote and implement voting methods that fulfill this right as much as possible. Their main reforms are instant runoff voting and proportional representation. In 2002 CFER supported a successful campaign for instant runoff voting in San Francisco, and it continues to support IRV and proportional voting in local and student elections across the state.


 * Website: http://www.cfer.org

Contact Information:
 * Mail: PO Box 128, Sacramento, CA 95812
 * Phone: 916-455-8021

League of Women Voters of California

LWV of California, Ms. Janis R. Hirohama, President
 * 1107 9th Street Suite #300
 * Sacramento, CA 95814
 * Phone: 916-442-7215
 * Fax: 916-442-7362
 * E-mail: lwvc@lwvc.org
 * http://ca.lwv.org

Local Leagues:
 * Alameda
 * Arcadia Members-At-Large
 * Beach Cities
 * Bay Area ILO
 * Benicia
 * Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville
 * Butte County
 * Capistrano Bay Area
 * Central Orange County Area
 * Claremont Area
 * Cupertino-Sunnyvale
 * Davis
 * Diablo Valley (Contra Costa Co.)
 * East San Diego County
 * East San Gabriel Valley
 * Eastern Sierra
 * Eden Area
 * El Dorado County
 * Escondido
 * Fremont, Newark and Union City
 * Fresno
 * Glendale-Burbank
 * Humboldt County
 * Kern County
 * Livermore-Amador Valley
 * Long Beach Area
 * Los Altos-Mountain View Area
 * Los Angeles
 * Los Angeles County ILO
 * Marin County
 * Marysville-Yuba City
 * Mendocino County
 * Merced County
 * Monterey Peninsula
 * North Coast San Diego County
 * North Orange County
 * North and Central San Mateo County
 * Northwest Riverside County
 * Oakland
 * Orange Coast
 * Orange County ILO
 * Palo Alto
 * Palos Verdes Peninsula
 * Pasadena Area
 * Piedmont
 * Placer County
 * Plumas County Members-At-Large
 * Redding Area
 * Sacramento County
 * Salinas Valley
 * San Bernardino
 * San Diego
 * San Diego County ILO
 * San Francisco
 * San Joaquin County
 * San Jose/Santa Clara
 * San Luis Obispo County
 * Santa Barbara
 * Santa Clara County
 * Santa Cruz County
 * Santa Maria Valley
 * Santa Monica
 * Sonoma County
 * South San Mateo County
 * Southwest Riverside County
 * Southwest Santa Clara Valley
 * Stanislaus County
 * Torrance
 * Tulare County
 * Ventura County
 * West Contra Costa County
 * Western Nevada County
 * Whittier
 * Woodland

Voter Action's California Information

Description: a "State Action" page of the national Voter Action organization.


 * Website: http://www.voteraction.org/states/california