Residents in the North Hollywood area gather at the ACF Community Center of the Eastern San Fernando Valley to learn about the upcoming changes
Voters from North Hollywood, Burbank, Pasadena, and across Los Angeles County came out for Vote Center Community Meetings. Those in attendance learned more about the updated countywide voting system, set to be implemented for the 2020 Elections. These meetings were hosted by the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region and its three local chapters: Crescenta Valley, East San Fernando Valley, and Pasadena.
The ANCA is one of several community organizations asked to help in partnership with L.A. County’s Voting Solutions for All People, or VSAP initiative. Dozens of voters attended these community meetings that were organized at the ACF Community Center of the Eastern San Fernando Valley, the Burbank Public Library, and the Pasadena Convention Center on May 18, May 29, and June 4 respectively. All the meetings were organized with the support and cooperation of the local City Clerk’s Office Elections’ Division.
ANCA-WR Government Relations Coordinator Serob Abrahamian facilitating the Community Meeting at the Burbank Public Library
“The ANCA Pasadena Chapter was proud to collaborate with the City of Pasadena and, in particular, the City Clerk’s office led by City Clerk, Mark Jomsky, as well as partner up with LA County to educate and inform local residents about the important upcoming changes to the voting system. It’s essential that we work with the county in providing election services in a fair, accessible and transparent manner,” remarked ANCA-Pasadena Chapter Board Member Donig Donabedian.
These Community Meetings allowed attendees to learn about the new innovative and accessible voting experience, and the implementation of vote centers that will provide convenient locations for voting anywhere in the County over an 11-day voting period. An ANCA representative at each meeting facilitated the meeting and delivered a slideshow presentation detailing the new ballot marking system, which features a touch screen device with a port for headphones and will provide voters with a digital ballot. The presentation also included a short tutorial on how the ballot marking devices will work, as well as a short documentary, called “Democracy by Design,” about VSAP and its collaboration with IDEO, a Silicon Valley design firm helping to build the ballot marking devices.
Residents in Pasadena came together at the Pasadena Convention Center to learn about the changes coming to the voting process in 2020
L.A. County will test the new voting system with a mock election on September 28 – 29 at 50 vote centers. Demo centers will simulate the new process for voters to see and test during weekdays and weekends throughout the county between October and January. The new system will be in use by March 3, 2020, the day of the 2020 California Primary Election.
This service was provided to facilitate information in Armenian in an effort to better serve our community and encourage civic engagement through the ANCA-WR HyeVotes initiative to make our collective voice heard in the electoral process. Additional information and resources on VSAP and its components can be found online.
The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential nonpartisan Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues in pursuit of the Armenian Cause.