Issue Position: California Is the World Leader in Technology and Design -- Let's Use It to Make Government Run Better and Get More Californians Informed and Involved

Issue Position

California is home to the best graphic designers and technology experts in the world, but you'd never know it from the way our elections are run. California has been ranked in the bottom 5 states in the use of technology in the voting process. Even states like Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Arkansas far exceed California in the use of technology for voting purposes. And our electoral system is also one of the worst in the country when it comes to counting absentee ballots, provisional ballots, and the ballots of our armed forces members serving abroad.

Pete's Plan:

- Create a California-based "Design for Democracy" summit involving the state's best graphic designers, and launch a top-down review of all the state's civic engagement platforms -- from our absentee ballot forms to the Secretary of State's website.

- Overhaul the ballot information packet to make it easier to read, more informative, and more accessible in digital formats.

- Launch handheld tools statewide for finding the nearest polling location and tracking your absentee ballot.

- Improve communications and promotion of voting to our overseas military.

- Encourage immediate electronic voter registration at all points of contact with the state -- including when a Californian obtains a driver license, buys or sells a home, or rents an apartment.

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