Press Release

A COALITION OF 140+ GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS JOIN SENATOR LIMÓN IN SUPPORT OF NEW VOTER REGISTRATION POLICY

(SACRAMENTO) — Earlier today, Senator Limón (D- Santa Barbara) and a broad coalition of 140+ grassroots advocacy organizations held a press conference in support of SB 846, a bill that would remove barriers to voter registration for millions of Californians.  

SB 846 would upgrade California’s current Partial AVR system to a Secure AVR model, which would register approximately 4 million more people to vote, including underrepresented communities, people of color, women, and other hard to reach populations. 

“California is no stranger to making election improvements, from creating the first version of automatic voter registration, to making it possible for all registered voters to vote by mail. Now, we have the opportunity to take the next step in modernizing California’s elections,” said Senator Monique Limón. “SB 846 will broaden access to the ballot box for all eligible voters.” 

States like Alaska, Massachusetts, Oregon, Colorado, Delaware and the District of Columbia have already passed similar legislation with overwhelmingly positive results. 

There are currently 4.6 million eligible, unregistered voters in California whose voices are left out of our democracy. Data shows that due to a lack of voter registration amongst traditionally hard to reach communities, California’s current voter population is unrepresentative of its demographic. 

“The California Grassroots Democracy Coalition was started to ensure that grassroots organizations that work with our most impacted communities (such as those who are non-English speaking, low-income, undocumented) are centered as part of how to re-envision democracy in California,” said Alejandra Remírez-Zárate, Policy Director for OC Action. “Through SB846, we see a policy solution to address urgent issues such as the voter participation gap in our state, voter registration as a barrier to voting, increasing the accuracy of voter rolls, and affirming the integrity of the elections process.”

“This bill is essential to ensuring the disproportionately Black, Latinx, and Asian American folks who have been left out of our democracy can make their voices heard. 4.6 million eligible unregistered voters in our state is unacceptable if we truly want to cultivate a robust, equitable, multi-racial democracy in California. To make democracy work for all of us, all of us who are eligible must have our voices heard.”

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Monique Limón represents the 19th Senate District, which includes Santa Barbara, Ventura, Goleta, Buellton, Carpinteria, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Maria, Solvang, Camarillo, Fillmore, Ojai, Oxnard, Santa Paula, and Port Hueneme. She currently serves as the Chair of the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee.

 

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The California Grassroots Democracy Coalition comprises 140+ grassroots organizations and is dedicated to helping California’s most vulnerable communities become empowered through pro-democracy reforms. The organizations include a wide range of backgrounds including, but not limited to: criminal justice reform, immigrant rights, language access, low-income communities, environmental justice, religious, labor unions, etc.