Q: Samy: May other people help me vote?
A: Samy, great question. You can choose 1 or 2 people to help you in the voting booth, but not your employer or union official. You can ask an election worker to help you, but, they must not influence you; you can ask or bring a sign language interpreter to help or call the County Elections Office before the election to request an ASL interpreter. You can also take your service animal to the polling place and into the voting booth.
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Q: Madison: My mother was appointed a conservator several years ago, can she vote?
A: Excellent question Madison. The short answer is your mom vote unless a judge ruled that you are not allowed to vote. When your mother was first assessed for a conservatorship, the court made a decision about whether she can vote. There are lots of ways to find out if she is eligible to vote:
- Check the order appointing a conservator (look at the form with the number GC 340).
- There is a section that says whether or not she is allowed to vote.
- If the box on the form is not checked, then your mom is eligible to vote once she registers, she can vote.
- If the box on the form is checked, then the court said she cannot vote.
- If you cannot find your form GC 340, you can ask your conservator, the case manager at your regional center or call your county elections office to ask if she is eligible.
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Q: Jillian: Can I vote if I will not be able to vote in person and it is more than a week before Election Day?
A: Jillian, thanks for asking. Anyone can request a Vote-by-Mail ballot at least 7-days before Election Day, October 27, 2020, by filling out and returning the postcard on the Sample Ballot/Voter Information Guide, or by calling your County Elections Office. A complete list of all Elections Offices by county is located at: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voting-resources/county-elections-offices/
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Q: Marley: How can I vote if I did not request a Vote-by-Mail ballot in time, but I cannot leave my home or am hospitalized because of a medical emergency?
A: Marley, despite the best laid plans’ life happens. California has special procedures for a voter hospitalized or in a care facility or cannot leave their home due to a medical emergency. If you registered to vote at least 15 days before Election Day and are not able to vote in person because of a medical emergency and it is less than seven (7) days before Election Day (the deadline for requesting a Vote-by-Mail ballot), you can request and complete an emergency medical ballot.
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Q: Romulus: What is an Emergency Medical Ballot and how does it work?
A: Romulus, thanks for asking, for the six days prior to an election, a registered voter who is unable to vote in person at a polling place or vote center due to confinement in a hospital, another facility or at home because of a medical emergency can fill out a form to authorize someone to go to the Elections Office to pick up a ballot for them. You may have another person help you read and mark your ballot. Others may not mark your ballot for you unless you ask them to do so.
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Q: Remus: What is a late vote-by-mail ballot?
A: Remus, If a voter is not able to vote in person at the polls and does not have a vote-by-mail ballot, the voter may apply in writing for a late vote-by-mail ballot. This application must be provided in person to the county elections official by the voter or the voter’s representative. The late vote-by-mail ballot must be returned personally or through the voter’s representative. The following link is a California Late Vote-By-Mail Ballot Application.
https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/vote-by-mail/pdf/late-vote-by-mail-application.pdf
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Q: Jeff: This is an extremely important election and I want to make sure my vote counts. I have a disability want to know what services are available for me before I show up to vote.
A: Jeff, thank you for your question. Set forth below are links to election information for accommodations such as American Sign Language (ASL), accessible polling places listed by county, county early voting and drop box locations, large print, audio ballots, curbside voting and more.
Resources:
Disability Rights California operates a Voting Hotline to assist Voters with Disabilities. Please feel free to call for assistance: 1-888-569-7955.
Assistance for Voters with Disabilities
Polling place accessibility guidelines
Guide to Counties providing curb-side voting
American Sign Language (ASL) assistance with ballot – ASL video ballot propositions
Large Print and Audio Voter Information Guides
