KNOW

YOUR
RIGHTS
Voting Rights
01 ICEBREAKER
02 HOLDER
SHELBY COUNTY V.

03 ELECTORAL COLLEGE
04 HOW TO VOTE
ICEBREAKER!

What is your name?

What are your pronouns?

What song have you been listening to?

Please put your responses in the chat box!

 Definition of Concepts

Disenfranchisement Voter Suppression Preclearance Voter Turnout

Deprive someone the Used to influence States with a history The percentage of
right to vote outcome of an of voter suppression eligible voters who
election by had to submit any cast a ballot in the
discouraging or proposed changes in election
preventing specific voting procedures to
groups of people the U.S. Department
from voting of Justice or a
federal district court
in D.C.
Why is voting
important? *
 FEDERAL, STATE, & LOCAL

FEDERAL STATE LOCAL

Presidential Gubernatorial Municipal Election

Election Election
Local Propositions
Congressional State
Election Representatives Council Member
Election Election
National Policies
State Propositions
HOW IT ALL BEGAN...

The North won the Civil

War, but the South won
Reconstruction.
 DISENFRANCHISING BLACK VOTERS

01 02 03
POLL TAXES LITERACY TESTS GRANDFATHER CLAUSE
“All” races were Unfair and confusing If one’s grandfather or
required to pay assessments father was able to vote
before registering conducted under before 1867, one was
to vote. short times; getting exempt from poll taxes
even one wrong could and literacy tests.
mean a denial to vote.
 Take these abridged literacy
tests and see how you fare.

ALABAMA - 1965
Alabama Literacy Test

Click here for the actual PDF copies of literacy tests and other misc. primary documents from the mid-1900s
How did it
*

go?
 What is the
Voting Rights
Act of 1965?
The act… Voting Rights Act of
1965
● banned the use of literacy
tests

● established federal oversight

of voter registration in areas
with voter suppression history

● authorized the U.S. attorney

general to investigate the use
of poll taxes in state and local
elections.
SHORT TIMELINE OF U.S. VOTING HISTORY
15th Amendment: men 19th Amendment:
cannot be denied the 24th Amendment:
women cannot be Shelby County v. Holder
right to vote because of banned the use of poll
denied the right to vote
their race. taxes / Voting Rights Act
because of their gender

1870 1920 1964 / 1965 2013

01 02 03 04
SHELBY COUNTY
V.
HOLDER
 PROBLEM

Shelby County, Alabama filed a

lawsuit declaring Sections 5 and 4(b)
of the Voting Rights Act
unconstitutional.

(April 2010)
What is Section 5?
Areas with a history of discrimination
must undergo preclearance to change
voting laws.
 Do you think
Section 5 is fair?
*
What was the
verdict?
 VERDICT

In a 5-4 decision,
SCOTUS ruled in
favor of Shelby
County.
 “Coverage today is based on
decades-old data and eradicated
practices [however] there is no
longer such a disparity.”

—CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS, 2015

Do you agree with
Chief Justice
Roberts?
*
 What are the
modern-day effects of
this verdict?
*
 BARRIERS TO VOTING TODAY
VOTER ID
Disproportionally affects POC, low-income,
transgender and gender nonconforming
individuals, individuals with disabilities,
younger and older citizens, etc.
VOTER PURGES
Names are removed from lists to
keep them to date, but this can
occur without legitimate reasons
and the voters do not find until it’s
too late.
11 Other Barriers to Voting
(National Council of Jewish Women)
GERRYMANDERING
“Drawing political districts for the
benefit of a particular party or group,”
this can dilute the results of the voting.
Often occurs in prisons as well.
CRIMINAL DISENFRANCHISEMENT
States like Florida, Kentucky, and
Iowa, permanently ban anybody
with felony convictions.
How are the
district lines
determined?
By the way, Oct. 31 is the last day to complete it this year!
 How does the
Electoral College
work?
There are 538 electors in total, but it takes ...

270
Electoral
Votes to win the presidency.
 What determines
how many electoral
votes each state
receives?*
 A state’s….

House
of + Senators
Representatives
= total number of electoral votes
 How Do Candidates Win Those Votes?
“Winner Takes All” System

1. When you cast your ballot, you vote for your state’s electors.

2. Electors will vote based upon your state’s popular vote

3. In all but 2 states, the candidate that wins the popular vote also wins all
of the state’s electoral votes

2019 National Archives

 Here’s the catch...

There is no Constitutional provision or Federal

Law requiring Electors to vote according to
the popular vote

2019 National Archives

 HOWEVER!

Throughout the nation’s

history, over 99% of electors
have voted as pledged
“Faithless electors” may be subject to fines or replacement

2019 National Archives

 Who gets chosen to become an elector?
Political parties often choose
State elected officials, State
Before the General Election, party leaders, or people in the
political parties in each state State who have a personal or
choose a group of electors political affiliation with their
party's Presidential candidate.

During the General Election,

voters select the State’s Electors are bound by State law
electors by casting a ballot and/or political parties

2019 National Archives

 Four years pass and

⤹
the next election
cycle occurs

The president-elect
Electors are chosen
takes the oath and is
before the General
sworn in as
Election
THE
president on Jan. 20

⤹
PROCESS
⤷

The people cast

their ballot on Electoral votes are
Election Day sent to the VP, who
State electors convene reads to both
on the third Monday of Houses on Jan. 6
December to vote for ⤹
⤹

the President
2019 National Archives
Does the Electoral College
do an effective job of
representing everyone?
HOW TO (PRE) REGISTER TO VOTE
FYI: You must register at least 15 days before Election Day to vote (Oct. 19)

● ONLINE
○ To (pre) register OR check your registration status
→ Click here

● IN-PERSON
○ Pick up a voter registration application at any Department
of Motor Vehicles field office, and many post offices, public
libraries, and government offices, or request one from
your county elections office.

● BY MAIL
○ Call the toll-free Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE (8683).
SAME DAY REGISTRATION

If you missed the Oct. 19 deadline or didn’t update your voter registration
information, you can still vote!

1. Visit your County Election Office, Vote Center, or local polling place
2. Once you fill out a Voter Registration Form, you will be given a ballot
3. Once your registration is verified, your vote will be counted
HOW TO VOTE BY MAIL
FYI: All registered Californians will receive a mail-in ballot

1. Check to see if you are registered to vote

2. You should receive your ballot about 31 days before Election Day
3. To return your ballot, you can:
a. Return by mail
b. Drop it off at either at your County Elections Official, a drop-off location, or
your polling place
4. You can track your ballot after it is mailed

For more information, click here and here

IF YOU ARE VOTING BY MAIL...
● Make sure your name, address and signature matches the one you
registered with

● If you mail-in your ballot early, you cannot vote again in-person

● You can still vote at a polling booth EVEN if you (don’t) receive a mail-in
ballot! If you received one and don’t bring your unused mail-in ballot to the
polling site, you will receive a provisional ballot.

● Plan at least a 14 day round-trip to receive and send a mail-in ballot

● If you mail-in a ballot, it must be postmarked by or before Election Day and

received by the County Elections no later than 17 days after Election Day

For more information, click here

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
● If you change your name or political party preference, you will have to
register to vote AGAIN

● If you were formerly incarcerated, you need to register AGAIN

● If you moved, update your new address by either:

○ re-registering online
○ submitting a paper voter registration application
○ sending a signed letter to your current county elections official,
informing them of your move, your date of birth and current
address, even if it is in a different county.

*If you have already updated your information at the Department of Motor Vehicles
or the U.S. Postal Service, your registration will be automatically updated.
TOO YOUNG TO VOTE?

● Be a Poll Worker

● Plan a Voter Registration Drive

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
● For Voting Guide → Click here

● For Voting FAQs → Click here

● For your list of Voting Rights → Click here

CONTACT YOUR CA
REPRESENTATIVES!
U.S. SENATOR KAMALA HARRIS
Website
https://www.gov.ca.gov/

Email
govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/

Phone Number
(916) 445-2841

Sacramento Office
1303 10th Street, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
U.S. SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN
Website
https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/

Email
feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me

Phone Number
(310) 914-7300

Los Angeles Office

11111 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 915
Los Angeles, CA 90025
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE JUDY CHU

Website
https://chu.house.gov

Email
https://chu.house.gov/zip-code-lookup?form=
/contact/email

Phone Number
(626) 304-0110

Pasadena Office
527 S. Lake Ave, Suite 250, Pasadena, CA
91101
CA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM
Website
https://www.gov.ca.gov/

Email
govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/

Phone Number
(916) 445-2841

Sacramento Office
1303 10th Street, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
CA STATE SENATOR ANTHONY PORTANTINO

Website
https://sd25.senate.ca.gov/

Email
senator.portantino@senate.ca.gov

Phone Number
(818) 409-0400

Glendale Office
116 E. Broadway, Suite 204
Glendale, CA 91205
CA STATE ASSEMBLYMEMBER CHRIS HOLDEN

Website
https://a41.asmdc.org/

Email
assemblymember.holden@assembly.ca.gov

Phone Number
(626) 351-1917 (Pasadena Office)

Pasadena Office
600 N. Rosemead Blvd., Suite 117
Pasadena, CA 91107
SOUTH PASADENA MAYOR ROBERT S. JOE
Website
https://www.southpasadenaca.gov/gove
rnment/city-council/robert-s-joe

Email
rjoe@southpasadena.gov

Phone Number
(626) 403-7218

South Pasadena Office

1414 Mission Street
South Pasadena, CA 91030
DISTRICT 1
DISTRICT 4

DISTRICT 2

DISTRICT 5
DISTRICT 3
 Interested in joining the
SPHS Speech and Debate Team?
Contact us!

sphsknowyourrights@gmail.com or sphsspeechanddebate@gmail.com
Samuel Liu is currently the Chief of Staff for State Senator Ben Allen
representing the Westside and Coastal South Bay in the State Legislature.
In his role as the Chief of Staff, Samuel serves as a strategic advisor to
Senator Allen and manages his staff operations. Prior to that, Samuel ran
Senator Allen’s successful campaign for State Senate in 2014 and most
recently ran the successful Senate campaign for State Senator Henry
Stern. Samuel has consulted on dozens of local and regional races, many
for API candidates and continues to support API candidates for local, state
and national office.

He brings prior experience working in the State Legislature for

then-Assemblymember Ted Lieu and has also worked for the Asian
American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Alliance for Children’s
Rights as well as the Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence.

He is an alumnus of the New Leader’s Council fellowship program and

served on the board of the Asian Professional Exchange and the Asian
Pacific American Legislative Staff Network in leadership positions. In 2017,
Samuel was appointed to the Los Angeles Human Relations Commission
by Supervisor Janice Hahn. He currently serves on the board of the Loyola
Law School Asian Pacific Alumni Chapter.

Samuel has a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola Law School and a
bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Former State Assemblyman Mike Eng currently serves as a full-time
Board Member of the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals
Board, which consists of 5 attorneys appointed by the Governor and the
State Legislature to decide thousands of legal appeals a year regarding
unemployment insurance, disability insurance, and tax issues related to
the workplace.

Mike previously served as Vice-Chair, Los Angeles Community College

Board of Trustees; Mayor of the city of Monterey Park; Vice-Chair of the
California Acupuncture Board; and was an immigration lawyer for 40
years. Mike started the region's first city commission on the
Environment composed of high school students and residents.

Mike served six years as a California Assemblyman during which time

he chaired the influential California Assembly Committee on Banking
and Finance. Mike currently is on the Faculty of California State
University, Los Angeles where he teaches in the College of Business and
Economics.

Mike earned his Law Degree at UCLA School of Law and his Bachelor's
and Master's degrees at the University of Hawaii. Mike currently resides
in Southern California with his wife, Congresswoman Judy Chu.
 THANKS!

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CREDITS: This presentation template was

created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon,
and infographics & images by Freepik