Commentary: California is committed to protecting voting rights and public health

Planning for an election during the COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest challenge that election officials have faced in our lifetimes. To help uphold our democracy, I am asking every Californian to do their part in helping us maintain an accessible, secure, and safe election in November.

California is already on the right track by acting to send a ballot by mail to every registered voter in advance of the November General Election. I am proud that we are the first state to take this action in response to the pandemic. By receiving their ballots by mail, voters can exercise their right to vote from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Voting by mail is a time-tested method of participating in our democracy that dates back to the Civil War.

While many Californians are used to voting by mail, it will still be a new process for millions of voters. In fact, in our March 3rd primary 2.7 million Californians voted in person. Research shows that younger voters and communities of color are less familiar or comfortable with voting by mail.

Out of respect for the voting rights of all Californians, elections officials are working to maintain as many in-person opportunities to vote both on and before Election Day in November. Many Californians need an in-person option to use accessible voting machines, receive language assistance, participate in same-day voter registration, or to obtain replacement ballots if they have made an error on the ballot they received at home.

Unfortunately, many traditional in-person voting locations will no longer be available. To accommodate safe, physically distanced in-person voting, new facilities will be needed. Elections officials are also facing an unprecedented challenge of replacing thousands of poll workers ahead of a major presidential election. Senior citizens, for example, who traditionally have served as a major segment of poll workers across the state, are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19.

Educating voters about vote-by-mail, finding new, safe voting locations, and recruiting a new generation of poll workers is an enormous task that election officials cannot face alone. California, we need your help.

I am asking all registered voters in California who can vote-by-mail to do so this fall, to ensure that there is less stress on polling places and poll workers. By voting by mail, you are helping voters who may need extra assistance to be able to go to the polls and not experience increased wait times or other delays.

Elections officials want to get your vote-by-mail ballot to you as efficiently as possible. In order to ensure ballots are mailed to the proper address, I am also asking all voters to verify their voter registration now at voterstatus.ca.gov and make any updates to their registration at registertovote.ca.gov (and please include a good email address to receive updates and elections reminders closer to November).

How else can you help? If you are a younger, healthier Californian who is interested in serving your community, sign up to be a poll worker.

State agencies and local governments can help by hosting polling places at colleges and universities, city halls, schools, libraries, and recreation centers. I’m also asking private sector partners to open their doors and volunteer their facilities to be a polling location or house a ballot drop-off location.

California leaders and organizations can help educate voters about the changes to the Nov. 3 General Election. State and local election officials will need resources and partners to reach every voter and ensure that they know their options for voting in a safe, secure and healthy manner.

Free and fair elections are the bedrock of our democracy, and our democracy is protected by the dedicated public servants who serve as state and county election officials. Election staff and volunteers are essential workers and they need your support. Maintaining our free and fair elections will require the efforts of everyone — government, the private sector, and individual citizens, including you.