VOTER REGISTRATION GUIDE IN FRESNO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA PREPARED BY: Victor E. Salazar County Clerk/Registrar of Voters Toll Free Number SECRETARY OF STATE Elections Division 2221 Kern Street Fresno, CA 93721 559.600.VOTE or 559.600.8683 1.800.742.1011 916.657.2166 For more information... Log onto www.co.fresno.ca.us/elections or visit www.sos.ca.gov TDD Only (no charge) 1.800.833.8683
VOTER REGISTRATION AND ELECTIONS GUIDE This booklet was prepared for use as a reference to assist individuals and groups participating in voter registration activities ALL AFFIDAVITS MUST BE ACCURATE AND COMPLETE Print legibly in black or dark blue ink. It is very important that groups or individuals registering voters be knowledgeable of the regulations and laws governing voter registration. In this booklet you will find information about voter registration, election laws, as well as a sample of a properly completed affidavit of registration. If you need further information call the Elections Division at (559) 600-VOTE or (559) 600-8683 between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Are you a United States Citizen? Mark the appropriate box. If NO it is a felony offense to register to vote. Box 1 Check the appropriate box, Mr., Mrs., Miss. or Ms. Print first name, middle name, last name. If no middle name, indicate NONE or NMI. Box 2 Complete residence address where they live. Use exact address, do not use a post office box. Box 3 If there is no street address, give an exact description of where they live. Include cross streets, bridges or other landmarks. Box 4 Mailing address, if they wish to receive their election mail at a different address than where they live. Box 5 Date of Birth Enter Month, Day, Year Box 6 Place of Birth Name of state in the United States or name of country if born outside the USA. Box 7 California Driver s License or ID number if they have one, or last 4 digits of their social security number. Box 8 Telephone number/email address this is optional. Box 9 Political Party If they wish no party affiliation, they can mark Decline to State. If Other is marked, they fill in the name of party desired. Box 10 Prior registration. Mark yes or no. If yes, provide prior registration information. Box 11 Permanent Absentee Voter (Vote-by-Mail) Box 12 If you have assisted in any way, you must sign and date line 12(A) and 12(B). Box 13 Signature and date Both are mandatory. Box 14 Optional Survey. Box 15 Optional Ethnic Background. RECEIPT: If you accept possession of a completed Affidavit of Registration, you must complete the receipt and give it to the registrant. If you are being paid you must complete (personally affix) Box 12, items (a) - (g).
1 AFFIDAVIT OF REGISTRATION CARDS HOW TO USE THEM PURPOSE The purpose of postal voter registration cards is to make it easy for citizens to register to vote or change their current registration. WHO MAY COMPLETE A CARD Anyone who: Is a citizen of the United States; Is a resident of Fresno County; Is or will be 18 years of age or older by the next election; and Is not in prison or on parole for a felony conviction. WHO SHOULD COMPLETE A CARD Anyone who: Has never registered to vote in Fresno County; Has changed his/her place of residence since last registering; Wishes to change his/her political party; or Has changed his/her name since last registering. WHAT HAPPENS TO A COMPLETED CARD The completed card must be delivered to, or mailed to, the County Clerk/Registrar of Voters by 15 days before an election. The cards may be mailed postage free. If you accept a completed card from someone, it must be delivered to the Registrar of Voters within three days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. QUESTIONS ABOUT REGISTRATION The Affidavit of Registration cards are self registration cards, meant to be completed by the voter. Do not attempt to answer questions except to explain the data requirements of the card. Direct any questions on voter registration to: FRESNO COUNTY CLERK/REGISTRAR OF VOTERS 2221 Kern Street Fresno, CA 93721 (559) 600-VOTE or (559) 600-8683 PLEASE OBSERVE THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES AS YOU DISTRIBUTE AFFIDAVIT OF REGISTRATION CARDS: DO...ASK people if they are registered to vote; if not, offer them a card. DO...ASK people if they personally know others who are not registered to vote. If they do, offer them cards for those people. DO...MAKE sure that people understand the Affidavit of Registration is a self registration card to be detached and mailed after it is completed and no postage stamp is necessary. DO...MAKE sure that anyone who helps with distribution has read this material and understands their responsibility. DO...RETURN unused cards promptly to the Elections Office so that others may use them. DO...ENCOURAGE the voters to mail their cards rather than giving them back to you to deliver or mail. DO...ASK people to use black ink, not colored ink or pencil. DON T...HAND a card to every passerby. DON T...GO door to door and leave a card. Inquire, instead, whether any unregistered voters live in the house. DON T...LET the cards gather dust in your car, house, or the back room of your office; keep them moving. DON T...TAKE more cards then you can reasonably expect to use. Think through your distribution method in advance and plan your requirements. DON T...HOLD on to completed cards. Deliver or mail them to the Elections Office within three days of receiving them. IT S THE LAW. 3
Excerpts from the CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS CODE AND PENAL CODE 4 The following are excerpts from the California Elections Code and the Penal Code. Please take note of the sections for registering non-existent persons, altering an Affidavit of Registration Card, interfering with the prompt delivery of completed cards to the Registrar of Voters and other registration crimes. DIVISION 18. PENAL PROVISIONS Chapter 2. Voter Registration 18100. Registration of persons not entitled to register. (a) Every person who willfully causes, procures, or allows himself or herself or any other person to be registered as a voter, knowing that he or she or that other person is not entitled to registration, is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months or two or three years, or in a county jail for not more than one year. (b) Every person who knowingly and willfully signs, or causes or procures the signing of, an affidavit of registration of a nonexistent person, and who mails or delivers, or causes or procures the mailing or delivery of, that affidavit to a county elections official is guilty of a crime punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months or two or three years, or in a county jail for not more than one year. For purposes of this subdivision, nonexistent person includes, but is not limited to, deceased persons, animals, and inanimate objects. 18101. Registration of fictitious person. Every person who knowingly and willfully completes, or causes or procures the completion of, in whole or in part, an affidavit of registration or a voter registration card, with the intent to cause the registration or reregistration as a voter of a fictitious person or of any person who has not requested registration or reregistration as a voter, is guilty of a crime punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months or two or three years, or in a county jail for not more than one year. 18102. Registration of nonexistent persons. Any deputy elections official or registration elections official who knowingly registers a nonexistent person, knowingly registers a person under a false name or address, or knowingly registers a person who is ineligible to register is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months or two or three years or in county jail for not more than one year. 18103. Interference with transfer of affidavit to county elections official. Any person who knowingly or negligently (a) interferes with the prompt transfer of a completed affidavit of registration to the county elections official, (b) retains a voter s completed registration card, without the voter s authorization, for more than three days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays, or after the close of registration, or (c) denies a voter the right to return to the county elections official the voter s own completed registration card, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000). 18104. Refusal to return affidavits of registration. Any deputy registrar of voters having charge of affidavits of registration is guilty of a misdemeanor who knowingly neglects or refuses to return affidavits of registration as provided in Article 3 (commencing with section 2135) of chapter 2 of division 2. The county elections official shall report to the district attorney of the county, under oath, the names of any deputies who have failed to return the affidavits. The district attorney shall take appropriate civil or criminal action. 18105. Writing or affixing political statements on affidavits of registration. No affidavit of registration or voter registration card shall contain, and no person other than the registrant shall write on or affix thereto, or cause to be written on or affixed thereto, any statement urging or indicating support or opposition to any candidate or measure. Any person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor. 18106. Alteration of affidavit party affiliation. Every person is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months or two or three years or in the county jail for not more than one year who, without the specific consent of the affiant, willfully and with the intent to affect the affiant s voting rights, causes, procures, or allows 5
the completion, alteration, or defacement of the affiant s party affiliation declaration contained in an executed, or partially executed, affidavit of registration pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 2150 and Section 2151. This section shall not apply to a county elections official carrying out his or her official duties. 18107. Fine for failure to provide voter registration card. Every person who willfully violates Section 2158 is guilty of an infraction, punishable by a fine not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200). 2158. County elections official to provide voter registration cards. In addition to registration conducted by deputy registrars of voters, the county elections official shall, do all of the following: (a) Provide voter registration cards for the registration of voters at his or her office and in sufficient number of locations throughout the county for the convenience of person desiring to register, to the end that registration may be maintained at a high level. (b) Provide voter registration cards in sufficient quantities to any citizens or organizations who wish to distribute the cards other than to person who have been convicted of violating this section within the last five years. Citizens and organizations shall be permitted to distribute voter registration cards anywhere within the county. (1) If, after completing his or her voter registration affidavit, an elector entrusts it to another person, the latter shall sign and date the attached, numbered receipt indicating his or her address and telephone number, if any, and give the receipt to the elector. Failure to comply with this paragraph shall not cause the invalidation of the registration of a voter. (2) Any citizen or organization that distributes voter registration cards shall give a voter registration card to any elector requesting it, provided that the citizen or organization has a sufficient number of cards. 8 10 (3) If distribution of voter registration cards pursuant to this subdivision is undertaken by mailing cards to persons who have not requested the cards, the person mailing the cards shall enclose a cover letter or other notice with each card instructing the recipients to disregard the cards if they are currently registered voters. (c) Mail a voter registration card immediately to any person who wishes to register to vote and requests a voter registration card. EXCERPTS FROM THE CALIFORNIA PENAL CODE 115. (Offering false or forged instruments to be filed of record.) (a) Every person who knowingly procures or offers any false or forged instrument to be filed, registered, or recorded in any public office within this state, which instrument, if genuine, might be filed, registered, or recorded under any law of this state or of the United States, is guilty of a felony. (b) Each instrument which is procured or offered to be filed, registered, or recorded in violation of subdivision (a) shall constitute a separate violation of this section. (c) Except in unusual cases where the interests of justice would best be served if probation is granted, probation shall not be granted to, nor shall the execution or imposition of sentence be suspended for, any of the following persons: (1) Any person with a prior conviction under this section who is again convicted of a violation of this section in a separate proceeding. (2) Any person who is convicted of more than one violation of this section in a single proceeding, with intent to defraud another, and where the violations resulted in a cumulative financial loss exceeding one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000). (d) For purposes of prosecution under this section, each act of procurement or of offering a false or forged instrument to be filed, registered, or recorded shall be considered a separately punishable offense.
ELECTION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Commonly Asked Questions and Answers for Voter Registration HOW DO I KNOW WHERE I GO TO VOTE? WHEN ARE THE POLLS OPEN? Before every election, every registered voter eligible to vote in that election receives a Sample Official Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlet. This contains information about that election and the name and address of their polling place. The polls are open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm on Election Day. HOW DO I FIND OUT WHO MY ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE? For information on all elections taking place within Fresno County and in what district (Congressional, Senate, Assembly, Supervisorial, etc.) you reside, call the Elections Office at 600-VOTE, 600-8683 or visit our web site at www.co.fresno.ca.us. HOW DO I RECEIVE AN ABSENTEE BALLOT? 1 Send a request to the Registrar of Voters, 2221 Kern St., Fresno, CA 93721 with your name, address, mailing address (if different) and signature. 2 There is an application for an Vote-By-Mail ballot on the back cover of your Sample Ballot Pamphlet and also on our web site at www.co.fresno.ca.us/elections. 3 Beginning 29 days before an election you can come to our office and vote or take a ballot with you. 4 You can become a Permanent Vote-By-Mail Voter by checking the appropriate box on the application. Any voter can now be a Permanent Vote-By-Mail Voter in California. Your ballot will be mailed to you automatically for every election. I AM GOING TO BE 18 THIS YEAR. MUST I WAIT UNTIL AFTER MY 18TH BIRTHDAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE? You may register while you are 17, provided you will be 18 on or before the next election. You must be sure to register at least 15 days before Election Day. WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION ON MY AFFIDAVIT OF REGISTRATION CARD? Voter registration is confidential in California as of January 1, 1995. Shall be provided with respect to any voter, subject to the provisions of Section 2188, to any candidate for federal, state, or local office, to any committee for or against any initiative or referendum measure for which legal publication is made, and to any person for election, scholarly, journalistic, or political purposes, or for governmental purposes, as determined by the Secretary of State.
4 NOTES We hope this booklet has been useful to you during the registration process. If you need further information call the Registrar of Voters office at (559) 600-VOTE or (559) 600-8683 between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
PREPARED BY: Victor E. Salazar County Clerk/Registrar of Voters Toll Free Number 2221 Kern Street Fresno, CA 93721 559.600.VOTE or 559.600.8683 1.800.742.1011 VOTER REGISTRATION GUIDE IN FRESNO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE Elections Division TDD Only (no charge) 916.657.2166 1.800.833.8683