The Department of Elections and the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs Collaborate to Provide Election Information to Residents who Speak Languages other than English

Department of Elections

City and County of San Francisco

John Arntz, Director

For Immediate Release

SAN FRANCISCO, Tuesday, August 20, 2024 - This month, the Department of Elections and the Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) are joining efforts to expand access to election information for residents who speak languages other than English. This collaboration will also inform eligible non-citizen members of the community about registering and voting in the upcoming Board of Education election.

The Department's partnership with OCEIA includes several key initiatives.

In June 2024, the Department of Elections' Outreach staff conducted a comprehensive Non-Citizen Voting (NCV) Registration training workshop in collaboration with OCEIA's Community Ambassadors Program. This training was attended by over 40 OCEIA Ambassadors, who were provided with the necessary knowledge, materials, and tools to assist non-citizens in understanding their voting options and resources available for the November 5, 2024, Board of Education election.

Additionally, the Department's outreach team is actively participating in OCEIA's San Francisco Pathways to Citizenship Initiative (SFPCI) Workshop series. These workshops, which serve immigrant green card holders in San Francisco and the Bay Area-many of whom are low-income and have limited English proficiency-provide free naturalization application help and vital support resources. The Department's outreach staff will be present at these workshops, sharing information about non-citizen voting (NCV) in the November 5 Board of Education election and offering non-citizen registration services.

The Department's collaboration with OCEIA also includes the SFPCI Lawyers in the Library workshops hosted in partnership with OCEIA and the San Francisco Public Library's Main Branch. At these events, volunteer attorneys assist eligible green card holders with their U.S. citizenship applications in a smaller workshop environment. The Department's outreach team supports these workshops by supplying NCV outreach materials, including registration forms, guides, and posters. OCEIA staff utilize these resources to promote NCV registration among eligible residents attending the workshops.

"Through these initiatives, the Department of Elections and OCEIA are committed to ensuring that every eligible resident has access to the information and resources needed to participate in the upcoming election," said Director John Arntz. By working together, our agencies aim to enhance civic engagement and ensure that all eligible city residents can exercise their right to vote."

"Working alongside the Department of Elections ensures that we are able to expand civic engagement for immigrant communities in San Francisco," said Jorge Rivas, director of the Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) and secretary of the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission. "This partnership bolsters our commitment to ensuring all of our communities have knowledge and access to civic participation, including our local elections, regardless of the language they speak."

For information about language access resources offered by the Department of Election, visit https://www.sf.gov/language-access. Registration forms and information about non-citizen voting rights in the November 5, 2024, Board of Education election is available at https://www.sf.gov/non-citizen-voting-rights-local-board-education-elections.

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Department of Elections

City and County of San Francisco

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place

City Hall, Room 48

San Francisco, CA 94102

(415) 554-4375

sfelections.gov

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