Part II: Making the Voter Registration Card (VRC) More Accessible and Inclusive for All California Voters

Ali Bloomgarden and Garrett Jensen | June 2021

This article offers recommendations following a robust study of voter registration cards (VRCs) from all 50 states and the District of Columbia focusing on overall design and voter inclusivity. It identifies best practices that may be helpful to the California Secretary of State (SoS) to improve the state’s VRC, both the online and physical formats.

These recommendations are timely in that California’s forthcoming move to all vote-by-mail renders portions of the current California VRC outdated, necessitating an update. See Part I for more recommendations.

Asterisks (*) indicates a suggested update to CA paper VRC.

Obelisk (†) indicates a suggested update to CA online VRC.

C. Optional Voter Information (continued)

4. Poll Worker: Consider providing the option for a voter to offer their services as a language interpreter during elections. This option mirrors the current question asking if a voter would like to be a poll worker.*†

A good example can be found on the Pennsylvania VRC (Figure 11).

“(check box) I would like to be a bilingual interpreter on Election Day. I speak this language: ___________”

Also, consider writing “language(s),” rather than “language,” as voters may speak multiple languages.

Figure 11: Pennsylvania VRC

5. Gender Identity: The State of California does not currently ask voters to indicate gender on the CA VRC, and that is an understandable practice. However, if the state should decide to add this question in the future as an additional data point, the language should read: “Gender Identification or Non-Conforming: (fill-in-the-blank).”*†

• Our study of VRCs nationwide revealed that most states either require or provide an option for the voter to indicate their gender or sex. More often than not, the voter was asked to check a box indicating “Male” or “Female,” in that order. Interestingly, it is almost universally non-alphabetical. Given the binary nature of these options and that voters may identify with options not provided, inclusive language that allows the voter to indicate their preferred identity is recommended.

6. Ethnicity/Race: Consider adjusting the online “ethnicity/race” question format from the current drop down menu with limited options to one of the following two options.†

• Option 1: Consider providing a box where the voter can type their identified ethnicity/race. Currently, the drop down menu allows voters to select “Other” when their ethnicity/race is not provided as an option; however, the voter is not able to describe their “Other” ethnicity/race. Additionally, rather than using the verbiage “Other,” as it is othering, consider using prompts such as “Additional” or “Describe.”
• Option 2: Consider mimicking the paper VRC and have a fill-in-the-blank option for voters to indicate, if they so choose, their identified ethnicity/race.

D. Signature/Affidavit

1. Consider adding language that emphasizes and clarifies the importance of the voter’s signature.* A good example can be found on the Ohio VRC (Figure 12).

• “Your Signature. In the area below the arrow in Box 14, please write your cursive, hand-written signature or make your legal mark, taking care that it does not touch the surrounding lines so when it is digitally imaged by your county board of elections it can effectively be used to identify your signature.”

Figure 12: Ohio VRC

2. Consider adding a larger notice for voters to sign their signature. This would be instead of the current, rather small, red exclamation point.* A good example can be found on the Hawaii VRC (Figure 13).

Figure 13: Hawaii VRC

E. U.S. Pre-Paid Postage

1. Consider providing pre-paid postage for the online printable signature document to those registering or pre-registering online that do not have a signature on file with the California DMV.†

F. “Information and Resources” Section on Paper VRC

1. Consider adding a page of all 58 county election office addresses and phone numbers.*

For examples, see the following states that provide this information: Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

2. Consider updating the language from “If you miss the 15-day deadline, you can still register and vote. Contact your county elections official” to “If you miss the 15-day deadline, you can still register and vote during the early voting period or on Election Day. Contact your county elections official to learn more about Same-Day Voter Registration.”*

3. Consider making the deadlines more easily accessible on the VRC.*

Good examples can be found on the Nevada VRC (Figure 14) and the Utah VRC (Figure 15).

Figure 14: Nevada VRC

Figure 15: Utah VRC

4. Consider adding the following sections, or make sure to integrate the answers to these questions into existing sections:*

• Will my information be publicly available? (Figure 16).
• Overseas Citizen or Uniformed Service Voter? (Figure 16).
• College student in California? (Figure 16).May I register to vote if I was arrested for or convicted of a crime? (Figure 16 and Figure 18).
• What if I moved? (Figure 17).
• Am I eligible to register to vote? (Figure 18).
• If I don’t know my California driver’s license or California ID card number, may I provide my Social Security Number instead? (Figure 18).
• If I don’t know my California driver’s license or California ID card number, or social security number, may I still register to vote? (Figure 18).
• How will I know if my registration was processed? (Figure 18).
• Will I need identification to vote? (Figure 18).
• How do I get a mail ballot? (Figure 18).
• What information will I receive by email and/or phone? (Figure 18).

Figure 16: Pennsylvania VRC

Figure 17: Connecticut VRC

Figure 18: Colorado VRC

About the Authors

Garrett Jensen holds master’s degrees in public policy and education (MPP/MA) from Stanford University. He is a policy wonk in the California State Senate. Before Stanford, he received his bachelor’s from Santa Clara University, in the heart of Silicon Valley in accounting and political science. Learn more.

Ali Bloomgarden holds a master’s in education policy (Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies) from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education. Before Stanford, she received her bachelor’s in applied psychology from New York University. Learn more.

Garrett and Ali have conducted extensive interviews with elections officials and led research on elections in California (Voter Signature Verification Report), U.S. safe polling design and vote-by-mail (Planning for a Healthy Election, SLS Law). They were also leading members of the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project.