March 8, 2018
The conference program is available here, accompanied by an accessible version here. Please note that slideshows and video of every session is not available.
Master of Ceremonies, Catherine Hazelton, Voter’s Choice California Consultant
Keynote, The Honerable Alex Padilla, California Secretary of State
Opening Plenary: Opportunities and Challenges for Elections in 2018
- Moderator: Gail Pellerin, County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, Santa Cruz County
- Kim Alexander, President & Founder, California Voter Foundation
- Gregory J. Diaz, Nevada County Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters
- Joe Holland, County Clerk, Recorder and Assessor, Santa Barbara County
- Dean Logan, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Los Angeles County
- Lori Shellenberger, Voting Rights Strategist
Session A: New Frontiers in Language Access: How California Law is Expanding our Democracy in 2018
- Deanna Kitamura, Voting Rights Project Director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA
- Eren Mendez, Elections Outreach Coordinator
- Steve Reyes, Chief Counsel, Secretary of State
- Jonathan Stein, Staff Attorney and Voting Rights Program Manager, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus
Session B: Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail: A New Way for California Voters to Vote Privately and Independently
- Moderator: Paul R. Spencer, Staff Attorney for Voting Rights, Disability Rights California
- Ardis Bazyn, CEO Bazyn Communications
- Fred Nisen, Supervising Attorney for Voting Rights, Disability Rights California | rtf
- Jennifer Tagg, Departmental Systems Analyst, San Mateo County Elections
- Steve Trout, Director of Elections, Oregon Secretary of State
Session C: Census 2020: What’s at Stake for California and its Democracy
- Moderator: Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, Chief Executive Officer, Latino Community Foundation
- John Dobard, Associate Director of Political Voice, Advancement Project California
- Maria de la Luz Garcia, Director of Census, City of Los Angeles
- Rosalind Gold, Senior Director, Policy, Research and Advocacy, NALEO Educational Fund
- Daniel Kikuo Ichinose, M.A., Director, Demographic Research Project, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles
Session D: Campaigns, Candidates & Voters: Navigating the California DISCLOSE Act
- Moderator: Dora Rose, Deputy Director, League of Women Voters of California
- Sandra Fluke, California State Director, Voices for Progress
- Stephen J. Kaufman, Principal Attorney, Kaufman Legal Group
- Emily Rusch, Executive Director, CALPIRG and CALPIRG Education Fund
- Phillip R. Ung, Director, Legislation and External Affairs, Fair Political Practices Commission
Featured Speaker, Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Ph.D., Director, The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts University | slides
Session E: Engaging the Public and Underrepresented Communities in District Transitions Under the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA)
- Moderator: Kathay Feng, Executive Director at California Common Cause, National Redistricting Director at Common Cause
- Nicolas Heidorn, Director, California Local Redistricting Project
- Tanya Pellegrini, Voting Rights Attorney, MALDEF
- Jonathan Stein, Staff Attorney and Voting Rights Program Manager, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus
- Jerome O. Torres, Past Chairperson, Chula Vista Districting Commission
Session F: Searching for Election Information: A Practical Overview of How Voters Acquire Election Information Online
- Moderator: Michelle Bishop, Voting Rights Specialist, National Disability Rights Network
- Monica Crane Childers, Director of Government Services, Democracy Works
- Aaron Nevarez, Governmental & Legislative Affairs Manager, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
- Kurt Sampsel, Government Services Project Manager, Center for Technology and Civic Life
- Jen Tolentino, Director of Policy & Civic Technology
Session G: Successful Preregistration Strategies to Expand Youth Participation
- Moderator: Rosalind Gold, Senior Director, Policy, Research and Advocacy, NALEO Educational Fund
- Mynor Godoy, Senior Field Organizer, Yvote, Movement Strategy Center
- Jesse Melgar, Deputy Secretary of State and Chief Communications Officer
- Emily Rusch, Executive Director, CALPIRG and CALPIRG Education Fund
Session H: Conditional Voter/Same Day Registration: Increasing Voter Opportunities to Register to Vote | slides
- Neil Albrecht, Executive Director, City of Milwaukee Election Commission
- Neal Kelley, Registrar of Voters, Orange County
- Jamie Kennerk, Chair, Board of Directors – CALPIRG Students
- Pete White, Executive Director and Founder, Los Angeles Community Action Network
- Raúl Macías, Manager & Attorney, ACLU of California Voting Rights Project
Closing Plenary: Implementing the Voter’s Choice Act in California’s Diverse Communities
- Moderator: Catherine Hazelton, Voter’s Choice California Consultant
- Gregory J. Diaz, Nevada County Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters
- Jenny Ocon, Executive Director, UpValley Family Centers of Napa County
- Dora Rose, Deputy Director, League of Women Voters of California
- James Schwab, Deputy Secretary of State, Policy & Planning