[EL] voter info pamphlets

Thu May 11 17:40:08 PDT 2017

George:

Several thoughts:

First, you raise a dilemma: Should you withhold information from one group for fear that providing it may advantage some and disadvantage others? If you say yes, you tend to move toward the bottom (toward providing little or no information). That doesn’t seem desirable, because it still advantages groups that can seek out information through other means (e.g., Internet searches).

Second, even if you provide information in multiple languages, you might still disadvantage the illiterate or visually impaired. Again, the alternative is a potential move toward the bottom: less information, or information in fewer formats.

My conclusion is that it’s better to provide more information, rather than less, and assume/hope that the information reaches those who either can’t read, can’t access an audio version, or don’t speak the dominant language — e.g., via assistance from family members, friends, etc.

Third, in Texas, which we ranked toward the bottom (43rd) of state voter information websites, we would recommend that voter information should be provided in multi-lingual formats, and at least in  Spanish (e.g., order a printed pamphlet in Spanish, or click on a Spanish icon on the Secretary of State’s website and the entire voter information pamphlet/website reads in Spanish). CGS has done this before with other websites, and it works fairly well. Online translation software is also available and constantly improving. Texas could also ask representatives of other linguistic communities to proofread the websites.  

California, for example, makes voter information pamphlets available in ten languages. According to the Secretary of STate’s website:  "The Secretary of State provides the Official Voter Information Guide in a large-print format in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.” California also makes the information available in audio formats, and it even makes online videos available in sign language for ballot measures.

My general belief is that providing more and better voter information will tend to lift all boats — that is, making the information available to wider and wider audiences will seep down more easily (through family, friends, colleagues, etc.)  to those who, for various reasons, are disadvantaged and can’t absorb that information in the available formats.

Best, Tracy

> On May 11, 2017, at 6:29 PM, George Korbel <korbellaw at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Texas of course does not do something which is apparently good government like this. But if it did given the literacy and functional illiteracy rate differential between Whites of voting age and Hispanics of voting age wouldn't such an apparently good government function such as this actually disadvantage the protected group. 
> 
> Get Outlook for iOS <https://aka.ms/o0ukef>
> From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu <law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu> on behalf of Tracy Westen <tawesten at gmail.com>
> Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2017 6:12:45 PM
> To: David Keating
> Cc: law-election at UCI.edu; Ava Alexandar
> Subject: Re: [EL] voter info pamphlets
>  
> David:
> 
> In 2012, Ava Alexandar, Bob Stern and I published through our Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) in Los Angeles a study entitled Voter Information in the Digital Age: Grading State Election Websites. It reviewed and ranked all the 51 Secretary of State voter information websites. You may find this useful. 
> 
> You can obtain a free digital copy of Voter Information in the Digital Age at: http://www.policyarchive.org/collections/cgs/ <http://www.policyarchive.org/collections/cgs/>
> 
> PolicyArchive, a CGS website, now contains about 33,000 policy papers from leading publishers around the U.S. Authors can upload their own papers at PolicyArchive.org <http://policyarchive.org/>.  You can see other CGS publications at http://cgs.policyarchive.org <http://cgs.policyarchive.org/>.
> 
> Best, Tracy
> 
> Tracy Westen
> CEO, Center for Governmental Studies
> 5239 Edmondson Avenue
> Dallas, TX 75209
> E: tawesten at gmail.com <mailto:tawesten at gmail.com>
> W: http://cgs.policyarchive.org <http://cgs.policyarchive.org/>
> T: 310-913-1395
> 
>> On May 11, 2017, at 10:56 AM, David Keating <dkeating at campaignfreedom.org <mailto:dkeating at campaignfreedom.org>> wrote:
>> 
>> I agree that a voters information pamphlet is a good idea.  It is a good way that government can subsidize election campaign speech for all candidates with few downsides.  Certainly states should provide a good voters information pamphlet before attempting to regulate campaign speech.
>>  
>> Does anyone know if there is a compilation of states that provide such pamphlets?  If not, we will consider doing it.
>>  
>> That said, the ballot measure arguments do sometimes get phony.  People who are really for or against a measure sometimes do get to argue “against” it or “for” it, but they use the worst possible arguments as a way of stacking the debate to help their side.  
>>  
>> David
>> _________________________________________________
>> David Keating | President | Center for Competitive Politics
>> 124 S. West Street, Suite 201 | Alexandria, VA 22314
>> 703-894-6799 (direct) | 703-894-6800 | 703-894-6811 Fax
>> www.campaignfreedom.org <http://www.campaignfreedom.org/>
>>  
>> From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu <mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu> [mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu <mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu>] On Behalf Of RuthAlice Anderson
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2017 3:56 PM
>> To: Rick Hasen
>> Cc: law-election at UCI.edu <mailto:law-election at UCI.edu>
>> Subject: Re: [EL] ELB News and Commentary 5/10/17
>>  
>> I wish every state had an voting system like Oregon. Of course, the reason Oregon has open and accessible voting is more likely due to it being a very white state than anything else. Voting restrictions are popular in states with many people of color and voting outreach reforms are more common in the whiter states. 
>>  
>> But just to show you how much Oregon does to help voters, not only are we automatically registered to vote, but we also provided a fabulous Voters’ Pamphlet where the candidates get to make their case. If there are endorsements listed, the endorsing person or organization signs a form that verifies that endorsement. No phony endorsements! If there are ballot measures, there is an explanation of the effects and the costs and opponents and proponents make their case. It’s mailed to all voters, I don’t have to look for it in the local paper. 
>>  
>> My ballot is mailed to me automatically. I can mail it back or drop it off at Elections, at any of the libraries, and in official drop boxes at some McDonalds, at hardware stores, movie theaters and car washes. All the locations are listed at Elections and in the voters pamphlet. 
>>  
>> When my ballot is mailed, I get an email telling me it’s been sent and to look for it. When I send it back, I get an email telling me it was received and confirming it will be counted. A couple elections back, I got an email saying my signature was smeared (I suppose the envelope got rained on in transit or something, it does rain here a lot) and that I would have to confirm my ballot. I was able to take care of that with a phone call. I attached screenshots so you can see what they are like. 
>>  
>> It just seems to me that if you believe in your political agenda, you should believe in it enough to compete for votes without stacking the deck by limiting voting rights. If you have to keep people from voting to win, to me it is an open admission that you do not believe you can win in an fair and honest election. Seriously, it turns that old maxim on its head exponentially, saying it’s better 200,000 innocent people are imprisoned rather than 1 guilty go free. 
>>  
>>  
>> RuthAlice Anderson
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> RuthAlice Anderson
>> ruthalice.anderson at icloud.com <mailto:ruthalice.anderson at icloud.com>
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