Protect Your Vote

WHAT YOU CAN DO BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER 3 TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR ELECTION INTEGRITY IN THE NOVEMBER 2020 ELECTIONS

Print this document and hang on your bulletin board or refrigerator to refer to often.

PROTECT YOUR OWN VOTE:

• sign up to receive all alerts and updates from EIPCa at eip-da.com. Staying abreast of the rapidly changing election information is especially vital this year. Be sure you are not affected by “surprises”.
• sign up at sos.ca.gov to receive text, email or phone message information:
  • about when your ballot is mailed
  • the date of expected ballot delivery
  • ballot return arrival at the elections office
  • when your ballot is counted or rejected (with remediation suggestions)
  • a reminder to vote before the deadline.
• Check your registration at sdvote.com and at www.voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
• If you believe your signature has changed over the years, you may wish to visit your county elections office soon and update your signature.
• mark your calendar: you should receive your ballot in the mail NO LATER THAN October 14
• if it has not arrived, call your Registrar’s office IMMEDIATELY, report your ballot missing, and insist that it be cancelled and that you be mailed a new one; verify the mailing address
• If you are going to use your mail-in ballot:
  • mark your ballot carefully with a proper implement and make NO stray marks or other writing
• do not spill or drip anything on your ballot; handle carefully to keep in pristine condition
• If you damage your ballot in any way, call your county elections office and request a new one, or go to a polling location to surrender your damaged ballot.
• turn your ballot in only to a staffed drop box that is emptied daily, a polling location or your county elections office
• do NOT
• mail your ballot
• turn your ballot in to an unstaffed drop box
• give your ballot to anyone other than a trusted friend or relative to turn in for you
• If possible, VOTE IN PERSON

PROTECT ALL VOTES

• Provide the above advice to everyone you can. EDUCATE your friends, neighbors, family, members of any group in which you participate. IT’S NOT TOO SOON TO START NOW.
• Make fliers to distribute.
• Post on social media
• Blog
• Speak to groups
• Call in to radio shows
• Other?
• Download EIPCa’s Citizen Incident Statement from eip-ca.com .Make copies to have on hand. Use if appropriate and provide to others who have something to report.
• Explore the possibility of working for your county elections office during election season Application and information can be found at sdvote.com.
• If you are not already volunteering with EIPCa, visit https://www.eip-ca.com/volunteer/ and sign up.
• Counties and communities need coordination teams—encourage some friends to join you and volunteer NOW—we will assist you in getting started
• All polling locations and counting centers will need OBSERVERS. EIPCa will offer training for observing polls and ballot processing by live Zoom conference. (If you trained for either of these for the Primary, you will only need a brief Zoom live update on changes due to COVID.)
• Every time you visit an elections office or polling location, BE AN OBSERVER. Watch for things of concern, and when in doubt, contact EIPCa and fill out a Citizen Incident Report.
• At the Post Office or an apartment complex, watch for discarded ballots thrown in the trash and report to authorities; discarded ballots are opportunities for vote theft.
• Be alert to unscrupulous behavior by ballot harvesters, and report to EIPCa.
• BE GENERALLY ALERT. IF YOU SEE OR HEAR SOMETHING AMISS, REPORT IT!

OTHER IMPORTANT ADVICE

If you receive a ballot addressed to someone else:

• Fill out a Citizen Incident Statement and mail to EIPCa (include photo)
• Mark ballot “No such person at this address” and return to ROV by mail

If you receive more than one ballot:

• Fill out a Citizen Incident Statement and mail to EIPCa (include photo)
• Call your elections office to report; follow their instructions