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>> >>PEGGY: GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN SIGNING COINCIDED WITH TODAY'S NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY.
HE SAID HIS GOAL IS TO INCREASE VOTER TURN OUT.
MEAN WHILE SEVERAL OTHER STATE HAVE ESTABLISHED MORE RESTRICTIVE VOTER I.D. LAWS.
HERE WITH DETAILS ON CALIFORNIA'S NEW VOTER LAWS ARE ACLU VOTER RIGHTS ATTORNEY LAURIE
SHELLENBERGER AND DEBORAH SEILER WITH SAN DIEGO COUNTY REGISTRAR OF VOTERS.
LORIE, FIRST QUESTION TO YOU, HOW IS THIS NEW CALIFORNIA SAME DAY REGISTRATION LAW WORKING
AND WHEN DOES IT GO INTO AFFECT? >> >>LORI SHELLENBERGER: YESTERDAY THE GOVERNOR
SIGNED TWO SIGNIFICANT PIECES OF LEGISLATION ONE IS THE SAME DAY REGISTRATION LAW WHICH
WILL NOT GO INTO AFFECT IMMEDIATELY. THERE'S STILL A REGISTRATION DEADLINE OF OCTOBERハ22
IN PLACE FOR THIS ELECTION. BUT HOPEFULLY BY THE NEXT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
VOTERS WILL BE ABLE TO REGISTER AND VOTE IN THE TWO WEEKS LEADING UP TO AND ON ELECTION
DAY. >> >>PEGGY: A LOT CLOSER.
WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT. DEN RAW, GIVE US A SNAP SHOT OF VOTERS IN
SAN DIEGO. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ELIGIBLE AND HOW MANY
HAVE REGISTERED. >> >>DEBORAH SEILER: ACTUAL REGISTERS IS PRETTY
CLOSE TO 1.5ハMILLION VOTERS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY.
AND WE'REハ THE R THE THIRD LARGEST IN TERMS OF OVERALL VOTER REGISTRATION.
THAT'S ABOUT 70% OF THOSE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE. >> >>PEGGY: THAT IS HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL
AVERAGE, CORRECT? >> >>DEBORAH SEILER: THAT IS A LITTLE BIT
HIGHER AND WE FEEL VERY GOOD ABOUT THAT LEVEL. >> >>PEGGY: DO THOSE PEOPLE WHO REGISTER TURN
OUT TO VOTE? WHAT IS THAT LIKE? >> >>DEBORAH SEILER: THAT DEPENDS ON THE ELECTION.
WHAT WE FIND IS THAT IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION, THE TURN OUT IS ALWAYS HIGHER THAN THE JUNE
PRIMARY ELECTION. AND IN A PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL IT'S HIGHER
THAN IT IS IN A GUBERNATORIAL GENERAL. >> >>PEGGY: SOME OF THE BILLS THE GOVERNOR
SIGN AIMED TO EXPAND VOTER REGISTRATION, BUT 7 SEVERAL STATE ARE DOING THE OPPOSITE.
THEY SEEM TO BE RESTRICTIVE SAYING YOU CAN ONLY USE CERTAIN I.D. FOR DOCUMENTATION.
WHY AND HOW ARE THEY DOING IT? >> >>LORI SHELLENBERGER: SINCE 2011 ALONE,
17 STATE HAVE PASSED 24 RESTRICTIONS ON VOTING, BOTH VOTER REGISTRATION, THE TIMING OF VOTING
AND VOTER I.D. LAWS. THERE MAY BE LIMITATIONS ONハ ON WHAT CAN
DO VOTER REGISTRATION, OTHER STATE THAT ARE ELIMINATING EARLY VOTING, OR STATE REQUIRING
GOVERNMENT ISSUED I.D. IN ORDER TO VOTE AT THE POLLS.
THE CONCERN IS THAT POLITICIANS ARE MANIPULATING OUR ELECTION SYSTEM IN A WAY THAT THEY GET
TO CHOOSE WHO'S VOTING FOR THEM SINCE THESE LAWS DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT CERTAIN PEOPLE.
>> >>PEGGY: RECENTLY WE DID A REPORT ON LOCAL POLL WORKERS HERE OBSERVING VOTER FRAUD.
IS THAT AN ISSUE IN SAN DIEGO? >> >>DEBORAH SEILER: I DON'T THINK THAT VOTER
FRAUD PER SE IS AN ISSUE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. OCCASIONALLY WE HAVE GROUPS THAT GO OUT AND
PAY FOLKS TO REGISTER VOTERS AND THAT ISハ OCCASIONALLY TEMPTING FOR SOME OF THOSE CIRCULATORS
TO MAYBE MAKE UP A FEW FICTITIOUS NAMES. BUT THEY'RE DOING IT FOR THE MONEY.
AND THAT'S VOTER REGISTRATION FRAUD, BUT NOT VOTE FRAUD.
WE DON'T FIND THAT IT TRANSLATES INTO VOTE FRAUD.
>> >>PEGGY: AND WHAT PROTECTIONS, LORI, ARE IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE VOTER FRAUD DOESN'T
HAPPEN IN THE STATE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY? >> >>LORI SHELLENBERGER: I THINK THAT'S THE
POINT. WE HAVE LOTS OF PROTECTION.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, IT'S A FELONY, WITH A HUGE FINE TO COMMIT IN PERSON VOTER FRAUD.
WE DOUBT MANY PEOPLE WOULD DO THAT FOR THE RISK OF ONE VOTE.
BUT ALSO OUR ELECTION SYSTEM, WE HAVE DATABASES, REGULATIONS IN PLACE THAT CATCH ANYONE WHO'S
A DUPLICATE VOTER THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE DECEASED, WHO ARE THEN REMOVED FROM THE VOTER ROLES.
SO WE HAVE A COMPREHENSIBLE ELECTION CODE I THINK DEBORAH WOULD AGREE INSURES WE'RE
CATCHING THAT WHICH IS WHY WE DON'T SEE THOSE INSTANCES OF VOTER FRAUD.
>> >>PEGGY: LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBERハ6. DEBORAH, TELL US WHAT SOME OF THE OTHER DEADLINES
ARE HERE WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF. >> >>DEBORAH SEILER: CURRENTLY, VOTERS ARE
NOW RECEIVING THEIR STATE BALLOT PAMPHLET IN THE MAIL, SO THAT'S GOING INTO THE MAIL
AS WE SPEAK, AND STARTING NEXT WEEK, THEY WILL START TO RECEIVE THEIR SAMPLE BALLOT
BOOKLETS. AS FAR AS DEADLINES, THE FIRST DAY TO ACTUALLY
COME INTO OUR OFFICE TO VOTE IS OCTOBERハ8, AND WE WILL BE OPEN FROM 8 TILL 5, EVERY SINGLE
DAY. WE'LL BE OPEN THE SATURDAY BEFORE THE ELECTION.
THE CLOSE OF REGISTRATION AS LORI POINTED OUT THIS NEW SAME DAY REGISTRATION BILL IS
NOT IN AFFECT NOW. WE STILL DO HAVE A CLOSE OF REGISTRATION 15
DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION. THAT DAY IS OCTOBERハ22.
OUR OFFICE WILL BE OPEN UNTIL MIDNIGHT THAT NIGHT FOR VOTERS WHO WANT TO COME DOWN AND
REGISTER TO VOTE. FORMS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE NOW, AND ALSO
IN LIBRARIES, POST OFFICES, CITY CLERK OFFICES. >> >>PEGGY: YOU CAN'T REGISTER ONLINE BUT
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE REGISTRATION FORMハ >> >>LORI SHELLENBERGER: YOU CAN ACTUALLY
REGISTER ONLINE NOW. THAT WAS ANOTHER EXCITING DEVELOPMENT IN CALIFORNIA.
THERE IS PAPERLESS REGISTRATION WHERE IF YOU HAVE A DRIVER'S LICENSE OR A STATE ISSUED
I.D. NUMBER YOU CAN REGISTER ONLINE AND BE INSTANTLY REGISTERED.
>> >>PEGGY: THAT SAME DAY REGISTRATION IS GOING TO BE NEXT ELECTION.
>> >>LORI SHELLENBERGER: RIGHT. >> >>PEGGY: LORI SHELLENBERGER AND DEBORAH
SEILER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TALKING WITH US TODAY.