The final days of the presidential general election are here. For those of you who haven’t voted yet, in person voting is the best option to ensure that your vote will count. Safety protocols to manage the pandemic mean that voting in person this year will be different from other elections. Voters should expect longer than usual wait times, to follow social distancing guidelines, and to wear masks for their own safety and the safety of their fellow voters and poll workers. Polling locations may not be where they have been in past elections. You can find your polling location on the Secretary of State’s website.

To make sure that voters have the best possible election day here are a few things to bring with you to your polling place or vote center:

• If possible, bring the ballot that you received in the mail.
• Any materials that you have that will allow you to vote quickly such as a filled in sample ballot or the big grey booklet from your county elections office.
• Water
• Snacks
• Folding chair
• Layered clothing appropriate for the weather (sun protection/ rain gear etc.)
• Any medications that you take on a schedule
• Wear comfortable shoes
• The phone number for Disability Rights California, Voter Assistance Hotline: VOICE – 1.888.569.7955 or TTY – 1.800.719.5798 in case you face any accessibility issues at your polling place.

Do not let the lines and procedures discourage you from voting this year. Your vote is your voice and by using it you play an important role in making the disability community heard in our democracy.

California allows voters to register to vote on the same day that they cast their ballots any time before polls close on election day. This is called conditional or same day voter registration. If you are eligible to vote but not yet registered, you can still vote in the presidential election this year. You will need to go to your county elections office, polling place, or vote center in person to register and vote conditionally. This plain language guide from Disability Vote California explains the process and includes links to find locations where you can register and vote. This guide is also available in Spanish.

If you have misplaced your ballot you can vote in person. It is likely that you will vote using a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot is the same as a regular ballot, but it is not counted until after your county elections officials have made sure that you haven’t already voted. This plain language guide from Disability Vote California explains provisional voting in detail and includes information on how to check the status of your provisional ballot after you have voted. This guide is also available in Spanish.

La votación en las elecciones generales presidenciales de 2020 ha comenzado oficialmente. Las boletas comenzaron a llegar a hogares en todo California la semana pasada. Muchos votantes votarán desde casa por primera vez en las elecciones. Para asegurarnos de que se cuenten nuestros votos, es especialmente importante que todos conozcamos las ​reglas​. Los votantes con discapacidades deben prestar especial atención a la regla sobre la firma de nuestro sobre de devolución de boleta.

Todos los votantes que votarán por correo o devolverán nuestras boletas en los buzones de votación locales deben firmar el sobre en el que devolvemos nuestras boletas. Esto es para que los funcionarios electorales de nuestro condado puedan comparar nuestras firmas con las que tienen en el archivo asociadas con nuestra registro de votantes y tarjetas de identificación estatales. Nuestros funcionarios están haciendo estas comparaciones para asegurarse de que nadie esté cometiendo fraude electoral.

Es probable que muchas personas con discapacidades no podamos firmar con nuestros nombres o que nuestras firmas hayan cambiado desde que nos registramos para votar. Si tiene un sello oficial que usa en lugar de una firma, o si hace una marca como una X en lugar de una firma en documentos oficiales, puede usarlos para firmar el sobre de su boleta
electoral. Este ​folleto ​de Disability Rights California explica cómo.

Para aquellos de nosotros que usamos una firma tradicional, es importante que tratemos de que se parezcan lo más posible a la firma de nuestra tarjeta de identificación estatal o licencia de conducir. Los funcionarios electorales ​no requieren una coincidencia exacta​, pero las firmas deben verse bastante similares.

Para aquellos preocupados porque su firma haya cambiado desde su registro para votar, o desde que obtuvo su tarjeta de identificación estatal, ​comuníquese ahora con la oficina electoral de su condado​ para solicitar una tarjeta de registro de votante para que pueda actualizar su firma en el archivo.

Register to Vote

Voting in the 2020 Presidential General Election has officially begun. Ballots started arriving in homes throughout California last week. Many voters will be voting from home for the first time in the election. In order to make sure that our votes are counted it is especially important that we all know the rules. Voters with disabilities must pay special attention to the rule about signing our ballot return envelope.

All voters who will vote by mail or return our ballots in local voting drop boxes must sign the envelope that we are returning our ballots in. This is so that our county elections officials can compare our signatures with the ones they have on file associated with our voter registration and state ID cards. Our officials are making these comparisons to make sure that no one is committing voter fraud.

Many people with disabilities may not be able to sign our names, or our signatures may have changed since we registered to vote. If you have an official stamp that you use in place of a signature, or if you make a mark like and X in place of a signature on official documents you can use those to sign your ballot envelope. This flyer from Disability Rights California explains how.

For those of us who use a traditional signature it is important that we try to make them look as much like the signature on our state ID card or driver’s license as possible. Elections officials do not require an exact match, but the signatures must look fairly similar.

If you are concerned that your signature has changed since you registered to vote or got your state ID card contact your county elections office now to request a voter registration card so that you can update your signature on file.

People experiencing homelessness in California can register to vote as long as you meet the standard eligibility criteria required of all voters. To register to vote in California you must be:

• a citizen of the United States
• a legal resident of your state
• at least 18 years old by election day
• not in prison, on probation or parole for a felony conviction
• You may be eligible to vote if you are a convicted felon whose voting rights have been restored (varies – check local laws)
• not declared mentally incompetent by a court (varies – check local laws)

Here are a few facts to know:

You do not need a street address to register to vote:

The section of the voter registration form that asks for your address allows voters to describe the place where you spend most of your time. You can include cross streets and routes to help establish your right to vote in your community.

You do not need ID to register to vote:

If you do not have a California ID card or know the last four digits of your social security number you can leave this section blank. According to a recent Los Angeles Times article, “In most cases, you will not be required to show identification when you vote in person. If you are voting for the first time in a federal election, you may be asked to show identification if you did not provide the last four digits of your Social Security number or driver’s license or California ID number when you registered to vote.”

You should include an address where you receive mail if possible:

This can be a post office box, the home of someone you trust, or a business that has agreed to receive mail on your behalf. If you include an address where you can receive mail you should be able to vote by mail in the election this fall.

This year it is especially important for all voters to make a plan to vote that will work best for them. This guide has information members of California’s disability community can use to make their voting plan this fall. The guide is also available in Spanish.

Election season is upon us, and it is time for the disability community to do our part!

The election this fall will be unlike any we have ever experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All registered California voters will receive our ballots in the mail. After that we have several options for either voting from home or voting in person. The plain language guide How You Can Vote in 2020 explains those options. This guide is also available in Spanish.

Before we can vote we must be registered. The plain language guide Register Change Lives! Explains how to register to vote. This guide is also available in Spanish.

Both of these guides and many more resources on voting for California’s disability community can be found at www.DisabilityVoteCA.org. Please share the guides with anyone in your network who you think would benefit from them.