 Hi, I'm Gail Pellerin. I'm the Santa Cruz County Clerk Registrar of Voters. One of the key responsibilities of my department is the administration of elections. My staff and I are passionate about voting and we believe that voting is the foundation of democracy. Certainly Election Day could not happen without our invaluable poll workers. You have a very important job from proper setup of the polling place to making sure it's accessible, enforcing election laws and meeting the needs of all of our voters. This video is going to focus on serving voters with specific needs. We want to make sure that you have the tools and important information to make sure that everybody has a positive voting experience and you have a rewarding day. Thanks so much for serving in the polls in Santa Cruz County. Now let's get started. Hi, I'm Jessica Vo. The County Clerk just spoke about Santa Cruz County's goal of 100% accessibility and 100% participation in elections. During the rest of this video, we are going to look at how you, as poll workers, can help facilitate a smooth process for all voters and appropriately assist voters with specific needs. Communication is a key factor in ensuring a positive experience at the polls. All voters should be treated with dignity, respect and courtesy. This means that what you say to voters and how you interact with them is very important. Let's talk about some key points when communicating with voters. First of all, look at the voter when you're communicating with them. If the voter has someone assisting them, be sure to look at the voter, not the assistant. Secondly, if at any point in the process a voter indicates that they need assistance, tell them what you can do and how you can assist them or have a co-worker assist them accordingly. Do not put the voter aside or in the corner while you help other voters until you have time to assist them. This sends a bad message. This brings us to the third key point in communicating with voters. If you are speaking and referring to an individual with the specific need or disability, refer to them as an individual person, not their disability or need. For example, if an individual who is visually impaired needs assistance, you can say, Would you like me to help you walk over to the touchscreen machine? It would be inappropriate to say, can you please assist this blind voter with the touchscreen for an audio ballot? If you must refer to an individual's need, then do it after you've identified them as an individual. Most of the time, you will find there is no need to identify an individual's disability. Respecting each voter's personal space is the fourth key factor in communicating with voters. Voters who utilize mobility equipment, such as walkers, canes or wheelchairs, view their equipment as part of their personal space. Just as you should never touch or grab a voter, do not touch or grab a voter's mobility device. It is inappropriate and can be dangerous for the voter. Fifth, service animals. When a voter has a service animal, do not attempt to touch or pet the animal without permission. The animals are working and should not be distracted. And finally, choices. No matter who you are speaking with, ask every voter if they want to vote paper or touchscreen. You should never assume you know how someone will want to vote, nor try to influence how they should vote. Everyone gets the same choice, paper or touchscreen. To highlight the importance of communication, let's talk to some local voters with specific needs about their experiences at the polls. I'm Veronica Elsie and I've been a resident of Santa Cruz since 1980, which is of course when I started voting. I haven't missed an election since I turned 21 way too long ago. And I see that you brought a companion with you. Could you please introduce us to your companion? This is my guide dog and his name is Ty and he was of great assistance getting me here to this county building. It's not an easy place to come. Can you please tell me what you expect when you go to vote? Well, when I go to vote, of course I expect to be able to cast my ballot. And I expect to not feel like I'm an inconvenience to the poll worker. I think really those are the two main things. Well, and I hope that I don't spend all day there because of a problem with the machine or something. But really it's very simple. Great. And what can a poll worker do to provide you with a good experience when you're voting? I think the most important thing that the poll worker can do is to first off realize that we understand the poll workers are our friends and our neighbors and our buddies and our volunteers. We do not expect poll workers to be disability experts. And to understand that even no two blind people are alike just as no two other voters are alike. Some people are sharp and know exactly. They just walk in and say, here's what I need you to do. And some people, wait, what did you say? You know, and we're just the same. And so I think the most important thing that a poll worker can do is not panic, slow down, tell me what they need, what they what's going to happen, what I need to do. Don't stand in front of me and talk to somebody else about me. Oh, no, she has to sign. What do I do? What do I do? No, just say, okay, you need to sign in. How can I help you do it? What a poll worker says and does can make a difference for a voter at the polls. It is not difficult to make voting a positive experience for people with specific needs. Just treat them as you would all voters with dignity, respect and courtesy. Now let's look at some examples of poll workers assisting voters with the specific needs on Election Day. Welcome. Can I get your name, please? And can you please tell me your address? Thank you. And would you please sign the register here on line 7? A voter using a wheelchair, a cane or walker may have a physical impairment. Just as you would any voter, ask the voter if they would like to use paper or touchscreen. And would you like to vote paper or touchscreen? You may also inform the voter there is a chair available to use with either option. Please take this, take it over to the person at the touchscreen machine. Hello, how are you doing today? Great, you? Good, thanks. Can I get your name, please? Phillip Doran. Okay. Alright, Mr. Doran and your address? Okay, great. And Mr. Doran, if you can please just sign right there on line 17. Okay. And would you like to vote with paper or touchscreen today? Paper, please. Okay, so here's your ballot. Okay. And to mark it, you're just going to connect the tail and the head of the arrow. Okay. Alright, thank you. Thank you. As you can see, the voter was given options and was able to vote seamlessly. The poll workers were supportive, courteous and prepared. You may have noticed the poll workers did not get in the way of the voters either. When assisting voters using wheelchairs, canes or walkers, never grab, push or touch their mobility devices or the voter themselves. Just as you would never want to be grabbed by someone. It is okay, however, to ask if the voter would like assistance. Some voters you serve on election day may have visual disabilities. As with all voters, a voter with a visual disability should be given the option to vote using paper or touchscreen. If the voter chooses touchscreen, you may want to ask him or her if they would like the audio component set up so they can listen to the ballot contest. Do not assume you know how a voter will want to vote. Give them options and let them tell you what they want and what they need. Let's look at an example of poll workers assisting voters who are blind on election day. Welcome. Hello. Can I get your name, please? Find the counter. Good boy. I'm Veronica Elsie, L-S-E-A. Thank you. Veronica, could you tell me your address, please? Three, two, one, my way. Thank you. Veronica, I have to have you sign the register. Could I assist you in any way? Okay, sure. Why don't you show me where? Here's the pen. Okay, now plop my hand right where I start. Right there. Perfect. All right. Veronica, I have to ask you to sign this register. May I assist you in some way? Sure. Let me get a guide. And I think, yeah, this will work, is put this down here so that I write right above it. All right. Right there. Here's the pen. Thank you. And so I start right here. Yes. Veronica, would you like to use paper or a touchscreen today? Touchscreen audio ballot. Okay. Please get the audio ready, Tom. Okay. As you can see, the voter was given options and was able to vote seamlessly. I'm going to hand you this ticket here. Oh, okay. There you go. Thank you. Would you like me to walk with you to the touchscreen machine? Sure. The poll workers were supportive, courteous and prepared. Welcome. Could I have your name, please? Hi. My name is Claire Johnson. Claire, just a second. Claire, what's your address? Claire, I need you to sign the register here. Could I assist you in some way? Yeah, if you could put my hand over where you need me to sign. Right there. Thank you. And here's the pen. Great. Thank you. Claire, would you like to use paper or touchscreen? I'll be using paper and could I have some assistance with that? Oh, sure. No problem. Service animals. When a voter has a service animal, do not attempt to touch or pet the animal without permission. The animals are working and should not be distracted. An individual may have a physical condition that makes it hard to stand for long periods or someone may have a heightened sensitivity to chemical sense. You may also encounter an individual who has difficulty speaking or is deaf. Welcome. Could I get your name, please? Can you hear me all right? Could I get you to write your name and address on this pad of paper, please? While working at the polls, you may also encounter some voters who have hidden disabilities. As a poll worker, you want to be conscious of the public you are helping to serve. And would you please sign the register here on line 7? Margaret, would you like to vote paper or touchscreen today? By listening, being courteous and respectful to voters, you can make Election Day a good experience for everyone. Here you are. And to indicate your vote, you're going to connect the head of the arrow to the tail of the arrow like this. Did you see that? Awesome. And when you're done, you're going to return your ballot to the scanner right here. Thank you. No matter who you are speaking with, ask every voter if they want to vote paper or touchscreen. You should never assume you know how someone will want to vote, nor try to influence how they should vote. Everyone gets the same choice, paper or touchscreen. If there are assisting me and marking a ballot for me, don't ever, ever comment on my choices. And that has happened. No, no, no, honey, you don't want to vote for him. He's already, be quiet, just mark my ballot. That's the biggie. What a poll worker says and does can make a difference for a voter at the polls. It is not difficult to make voting a positive experience for people with specific needs. Just treat them as you would all voters with dignity, respect and courtesy. For people who want to vote using the touchscreen, the screen position can be adjusted for easier viewing. Let's see a couple examples of poll workers assist some local voters. Hi, may I have your ticket please? Thank you. Okay. Go ahead and place your votes. Press the green button when you're all done. Would you like to have a seat while you're voted? No thanks. Okay. Some voters you serve on election day may have visual disabilities. As with all voters, a voter with a visual disability should be given the option to vote using paper or touchscreen. If the voter chooses touchscreen, you may want to ask him or her if they would like the audio components set up so they can listen to the ballot contests. You're going to be voting by audio. Would you like to be seated while I set it up? Oh, I sure would. Okay. Take a step forward. And the chair is right here by your side. Find the seat. Good boy. You need to come over here. Down. Veronica, here's your controller. Thank you. Okay. Here's your headset. And you may hear a loud beep when I press the button. Okay. And you're all set. As you can see, the voter was able to vote seamlessly. It is okay, however, to ask if the voter would like assistance. There are a couple of extra things to remember when assisting a voter who is blind. You may want to offer him or her your arm so you can walk them to the voting booth or touchscreen machine. Verbally communicate with him or her what you are doing. Now that we're done filling out your ballot, you want me to deposit or should you? If you could show me where to deposit it, that'd be great. All right. It's right there. Okay. Once the voter has cast their ballot, you may want to offer to walk him or her to the exit, just as you walk them to the voting machine. Let's watch a couple more examples. And Teresa, would you like to vote with paper or touchscreen today? No. I don't understand. Do you speak Spanish? Yes. Do you prefer to vote with paper or with a touch screen? Do you have a ballot in Spanish? Well, the voting machine with a touch screen has the ballot in English and in Spanish. The paper ballot is only in English. Do you prefer to vote with paper? Okay. Here's the ballot. And when you vote, you're going to connect the tail with the head. Okay. Let's go. On election day, you may also encounter voters who prefer a language other than English or who have varying degrees of literacy. For voters who are more comfortable with Spanish, the touch screen machine has features that allow the voter to view the ballot in English or Spanish or to listen to the ballot in English or Spanish. Also, all voters always have the option of receiving assistance while they vote. Anyone can assist a voter except for the voter's employer, an agent of the employer, or an officer or agent of the voter's union. As a poll worker, you can also assist a voter. If you do so, you must not influence the voter's vote. By giving your opinion or personal interpretation of the ballot choices, you may inadvertently influence the voter. You must remain completely impartial. If you are translating the ballot for someone, you may only translate the choices, not the implication of the choices. Once you have assisted a voter, you must not speak with anyone about the voter's choices. You are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of the vote. Never assume you know how a voter will want to vote and never suggest they choose one option over another. The method a voter votes is just as much the individual's voter's decision as the vote itself. We want all people who vote at the polls to feel welcome and to have a positive experience. By treating all voters with dignity, respect, and courtesy, you, our poll workers, create an inclusive, positive atmosphere for voters and help to ensure a successful election. Let's review some of those key points for assisting voters with specific needs. First, look at the voter, not their assistant or their interpreter. When a voter asks for assistance, help them. Do not put them aside until you have time to help them. Use individual first-based language. If you must identify an individual's disability, only do so once you've identified the person and an individual. Respect each voter's personal space. Do not grab a voter nor a voter's wheelchair, cane, or other mobility device. Do not touch or play with service animals. Offer every voter the option to vote using paper or touchscreen. Here are a couple other hints to help with a smooth election day. If a voter at your polling place asks to use a piece of equipment you have never used before, call the inspector's hotline. For example, if no one at your polling place has set up the audio pack to use with a touchscreen, or if a voter has a sip-and-puff device that can be hooked up to the touchscreen, call the hotline. On election day, please look at the language guide on disability included with your polling place materials. Before the election, you can see the guide and other resources on our website, votescount.com. We want all people who vote at the polls to feel welcome and to have a positive experience. Well, I used to vote in person because I thought it was important that individuals saw persons with disabilities out there. Too often, especially nowadays, a lot of people complain, but nobody goes to the polling booths. Being disabled, I use a lot of public services. Those are usually one of the first things that are cut in elections or budget years. It's important to go out and be seen. I can also do some education to the public and say, hey, I'm speaking up for my rights and encourage them and make them feel good about themselves voting and also myself is joining with the communities. I've been really lucky. I think that people here in Santa Cruz know the importance of voting and respect that, so no matter who you are, it's been a very positive experience, which I'm happy to say. Finally, as poll workers, you are integral components to making the voting process as seamless as possible for all eligible voters. The County Clerk Elections Office is here to support you in that effort. Hopefully, this video gave you some insightful, useful information to use during the next election and in your everyday life. Thank you very much for your time and your service. See you on Election Day.