San Rafael, CA – Marin County voters should see an information pamphlet for the June 7 election in the mail soon, but those who are more electronically inclined should know there’s a mobile-friendly Voter Dashboard online as well. The online guide provides all of the same information as the printed pamphlet and much more.
The Voter Dashboard has been updated this year to include a voter's party affiliation.
How handy is it? Users can mark their ballot selections in the app to create a cheat sheet for use when voting at a polling station. The selections are for reference only and do not equate to voting.
In addition, the Voter Dashboard provides links to other resources, including the state propositions, state and federal candidate statements, and websites for local candidates. The Voter Guide is available in the Voter Dashboard, which can be found on the home page of the Elections Department’s website.
The Voter Dashboard facilitates all sorts of other self-service options as well. Users can answer common questions, such as, “Am I registered to vote?” “I forgot if I registered with a party, so how can I find out?” or “Did you get my ballot?” Voters even have the ability to opt out of receiving a printed copy of the information pamphlet, choosing to use the electronic version presented in the Voter Guide instead. Even sample ballots are available for users of the Voter Dashboard.
“We know that some voters prefer to get their information in an electronic format,” said Lynda Roberts, Marin County’s Registrar of Voters. “About a month before each election, we send an email to voters letting them know their electronic pamphlet is available on the Voter Dashboard. Reducing the number of printed pamphlets can help reduce election costs, which are about $1 million for a primary election.”
The Voter Dashboard implements responsive web design principles to provide an optimal experience on desktop computers as well as phones and tablets.
“Upon logging in, voters are immediately presented with pertinent, helpful information such as their registration status and their polling location. Voters can even get directions to their polling place from the Dashboard,” said Wesley Hill, a Principal Systems Analyst who leads the web team with the Marin County Information Services and Technology (IST) Department.
The IST team continues to refine the Voter Dashboard to improve the experience of using the site. This year the team added information about a voter’s party affiliation.
“Many people were calling the Elections Department to ask why their party affiliation wasn’t on the Voter Dashboard,” Hill said. “Our team was able to add that information very quickly, which empowered the public and really helped reduce the number of phone calls received by our Elections Department.”
The Elections Department will continue to mail printed voter pamphlets for future elections to those who do not opt out. Voters who opt out can also change their mind and decide to opt in. Regardless of how you receive your information about the June 7 election, Roberts urges voters to study the pamphlet because presidential primary elections can be confusing.
“Some parties are having an open primary and some parties are having a closed primary,” Roberts said. “It’s really important that voters understand how the primary election works.”
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