Voter registration and sample pamphlets in multiple languages were available after a naturalization ceremony at the L.A. Convention Center.; Credit: Benjamin Brayfield/KPCC
Ever wonder what happens to a voter's registration when he or she moves out of the district or passes away? Typically, nothing. In some districts, tens of thousand voter registrations can be inaccurate as a voter has moved to a different home, left the district, passed away, or even become ineligible to vote. As vote-by-mail has exploded in popularity among California voters, inaccurate voter registrations can cost a significant amount of resources, especially time.
This is not the case in Orange County. The OC Registrar of Voters and the President of the Election Official Association, Neal Kelley, has undergone substantial efforts to address inaccurate voter registrations. With over three million residents and 1.6 million voters, Orange County has much to gain from keeping up-to-date voter registrations. Kelley understands that changing voter registrations are the least of people's priorities as they move, and he is pushing for new technology to help deal the thousands of people who move out of Orange County every year so that they can focus on registering new voters.
How do we find "Mr. or Mrs. Voter" in our fast-paced, transient society? Can technology solve the problem of out-dated voter registrations? Where is the balance between dealing with old registrations and signing up new voters?
Guests:
Neal Kelley, Registrar of Voters, County of Orange
Dean Logan, Registrar of Voters, County of Los Angeles