SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) In a democracy, political power is inherent in the people and is exercised through the right to vote.
(b) The right to vote is a fundamental right through which the people exercise political power capable of protecting all other rights.
(c) Every citizen of the United States residing in California who is eighteen years of age is guaranteed the right to vote and to have their vote counted, with limited exceptions.
(d) Nonparticipation in elections means that only some people exercise
their political power, creating a distortion in representation that can result in some people being denied the protection, security, and benefits to which they are entitled under the Constitution.
(e) In each statewide election in California since 1972, fewer than 60 percent of eligible voters have exercised their fundamental right to vote.
(f) Approximately 20 percent of eligible voters in California are not registered to vote.
(g) In a number of California counties, fewer than 70 percent of eligible voters are registered to vote.
(h) In the 2014 California General Election, only 52 percent of eligible youth were registered to vote and only 8 percent of eligible youth, ages 18 to 24, cast a ballot.
(i) In California, the Secretary of State is the chief elections officer, who administers elections in partnership with county elections officials.
(j) California statutes and regulations direct the Secretary of State and counties to implement programs aimed at increasing voter participation and outreach to nonvoters and to remove administrative obstacles to voting that deter fuller participation.
(k) Some of these voter outreach programs have not been implemented in parts of our state.
(l) Fully implementing existing laws and regulations to increase participation in elections will empower disenfranchised voters to reclaim and exercise their fundamental rights and political power.
(m) Recently enacted legislation promotes the use of public
election materials as a tool for disseminating messages that promote awareness of, and encourage participation in, the census. Accordingly, improving voter education and outreach programs that are designed to improve voter participation among historically marginalized or underrepresented communities will also assist in the state’s efforts in communicating the importance of participation in the census and could help improve census participation among historically hard-to-count communities.
(n) Empowering disenfranchised voters at the county level can also reduce barriers between governments and historically marginalized or underrepresented communities, who have the greatest risk of being undercounted in the decennial census.
(o) An accurate and complete census count in each decennial census is foundational to the integrity of a true representative democracy.
(p) It is the intent of the Legislature to reduce nonparticipation in elections to the greatest extent possible by fully implementing existing laws and codifying existing regulations to facilitate outreach to underrepresented groups, with a particular focus on counties with low levels of voter registration and participation and on youth across the state.