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A Product of Great Public Schools: Los Angeles

Introduction
This toolkit for school leaders, administrators, and teachers is a resource for schools that
are interested in incorporating their school community in civic engagement. In addition to
the opportunity to teach students about the importance of local democracy, schools are
in a unique position to reach parents and community members and encourage them, too,
to get involved. And with less than 10% of registered voters casting ballots in LAs most
recent school board election (and that number would be much smaller if it included all
eligible voters), the need to engage communities around local democracy is more critical
than ever. As a school, you can do many things to increase civic participation, including voter registration drives, civic engagement mini-lessons, classroom competitions
around participation, mock elections and civic engagement pledges so that all parents,
regardless of citizenship, can participate.
To help facilitate a civic engagement month, this toolkit includes a sample action plan, an
example of a civic engagement pledge, and a how-to on completing a voter registration
form. Weve also included Rock the Votes Democracy Class toolkit which contains
mini-lessons on the history of American democracy and the importance of participation.
For questions, comments, or additional resources, email Nick at nick@gpsla.org.

About Great Public Schools: Los Angeles

Great Public Schools: Los Angeles (GPS:LA) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit membership organization that informs and mobilizes stakeholders to participate in LAUSD school board
elections and local school policy. By educating and organizing constituents, we achieve
our mission: to create a sustainable movement of Angelenos who set the course for great
public schools.
To learn more about GPS:LA visit www.gpsla.org.
Great Public Schools: Los Angeles
7083 Hollywood Blvd., First Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Phone: 213-289-5988

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Goal

90% of all parents will be ready to engage in LAUSD school

board elections by February 2nd. 70% of parents will have engaged
by March 3rd.
If the parent is...
Already registered to vote?
Not registered but eligible?
Not able to register to vote?

Ask them to sign the pledge and ask them

to sign up to vote-by-mail.
Register the parent to vote and to vote-bymail.
Ask parent to sign the pledge

Potential Timeline
January 26: Letter home to parents introducing Civic Engagement Month and listing
a calendar of events and deadlines. This letter will also explain the why, which includes
importance of school board elections, low voter turnout, and the implications of
participation for the school. The letter will mention:
- Classroom and school-based competitions: for exampe, pizza party for
classroom with most parents involved.
- Civic Engagement Event on February 2nd
Every student brings home a voter registration form to their parents with accompanying
letter detailing requirements to register and information about where they can drop it off
(mail it in or bring back to school by Feb. 20th). (Drop-offs will require a representative
from the school or GPS:LA to return forms to city election office every 3 days). Note:
Schools can pre-fill some of the registration form (name, address, etc.) to nudge parents to fill out the remaining parts.
January 20: Registration and vote-by-mail applications will be available in the front office
of the school with a sign indicating that they are there (GPS:LA can provide registration
forms and signs).
February 2nd: Civic Engagement event at the school. This event is open to all students
and parents. Few speakers (including students) will highlight the importance of getting
involved in local democracy. Staff will help register parents and employees and fill out
vote-by-mail applications. Classroom competitions will be announced (for example,
classroom that has the highest number of parents engaged wins a prize).
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Engagement means the following:

- If eligible, parent is registering to vote.
- If ineligible, parent will complete form indicating their
support for the civic engagement month and pledging to
inform friends and neighbors about the election.
During this week, each homeroom will also incorporate a
mini-lesson (~15 minutes) on the importance of civic engagement
and local democracy. Note: see included Democracy Class materials.
This is also the deadline to have 90% of parents registered to vote and/or sign pledge.
February 3rd: big banner put up outside office with X % of parents are civically
engaged in our LAUSD school board and other local elections. (Note: % based on
registration and ineligible parents who sign form indicating support (will increase every
few days)).
February 17th: potential mock municipal election for students. (Could also have a mock
election on something elsefavorite subject/food/etc.but purpose is to teach students
about voting/democracy.) Students will bring home letter reminding parents of upcoming
deadline to bring in/mail absentee ballots. May also include a robo-call.
February 20th: deadline for parents to bring in absentee ballots (signed and sealed) if
they havent already mailed them.

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Sample Civic Engagement Pledge

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure
these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed.
- from the Declaration of Independence
The United States was the first country in the world to create a system of government of
the people, by the people, and for the people (as Abraham Lincoln famously said). But
how is this a government of, by, or for the people if nobody participates? In the most
recent Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) school board election, only 9.5% of
registered voters cast ballots. That means that over 90% of people decided that their
voice didnt matter and that other people should decide how the education of
thousands of students should be determined.
We at (insert school name) understand that decisions are made by those who show-up.
Given all the important decisions the school board (and other local elected officials) make
that affect that lives of our students and their families, we are committed to making our
voices heard and our votes count. As Thomas Jefferson said, We do not have
government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate. And
there are tons of ways to participate in the upcoming elections!
If you are eligible to vote (you must be a U.S. citizen), you can register to vote, sign up to
vote-by-mail, and then, VOTE!
Here are some ways you can participate outside of registering to vote and voting:
- Tell your friends, family and neighbors about the election (which is on March 3rd)
and encourage them to register to vote (if eligible) and vote. You can also do your part by
sharing information about the election on social media or by word-of-mouth.
- Attend a candidate forum and visit the candidates websites to learn about the
people and issues involved. Visit www.gpsla.org/election_center for more information.
- Show your support for a candidate or issue by putting up lawn signs or stickers.
- Volunteer on a campaign and phone-bank or knock on doors to inform people about
the election.
As a member of the (insert school name) community, I pledge to support our collective
civic engagement by doing at least one of the above. And I know that, by participating in
our local democracy, I can help shape the future of my community.
Full Name: _____________________ Signature:
Keep me informed about this election? (Circle one)
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________________________
Yes /
No
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Completing a Voter Registration Form

Two Sections
The registration section is detachable and can be mailed
(postage is pre-paid.) This receipt is kept by the person who
is registering.
General Requirements
Write in non-erasable ink
Write clearly and legibly (especially numbers)
Fill out all items completely
Providing a phone number and/or email address is optional but very helpful if there is
missing information or any other issue
Step-By-Step Guide to Completing a Voter Registration Form
Name (Items 1, 2, and 3)
Print first, middle or initial, and last name in the three sections provided.
Include any suffix (Jr., Sr.; I II or III) with the last name.
A title (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss) is optional
A title of address (Mrs. John Smith; The Honorable Judge Smith, Captain America) is
not valid for voter registration.

Home address (Items 4 and 5)

This is the address where a person lives or considers their residence, either permanently or at this present time
Make sure any apartment or space number is listed
Check zip code is complete
Check COUNTY (not country) is given

If no street address (person is homeless) (Item6):

The person should provide an intersection (two streets
that cross) where they feel they live
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This intersection will be used to establish which precinct they

will vote in.
A mailing address must also be provided where election
materials can be sent (see below)

Mailing Address (Items 7 and 8)

Anyone may specify a mailing address where they would like to receive election materials.
This could be:
Family members or friends address;
Business address;
P.O. (post office) box;
General Delivery (+ zip code) mail will be held for pick up at the post office assigned
to this zip code.

What if the person is living overseas, or will move or be stationed overseas before
the next election?
The person should provide their most recent Los Angeles (or California) address as
their home address (Items 4 & 5), and their overseas address as the mailing address
(Item 7 & 8).
They will automatically become a permanent vote-by-mail voter, so the permanent voteby-mail request (Item 15) is optional.
This voter will receive a follow-up survey from the Department and they may need to
fill out an additional form (temporary, permanent, and military overseas voters all have
different requirements).
Providing an email address (item 12) will help us communicate with them while theyre
abroad.

Date of Birth (Item 9)

To register, a person must be at least 18 years old by or on
the upcoming Election Day.
Place of Birth (Item 10)
If born in the United States, the state or territory of birth is
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provided.
If born outside the United States, the COUNTRY (not county) is
provided. Identification Number (Item 11)
If the applicant has a California drivers license or CA state
identification card number, they should provide it.
If they have neither a California drivers license or ID card, they
provide the last four digits of their social security number.
If an eligible voter has neither form of identification, the State
will assign a unique identifier for the voter (this will lengthen
processing time).

Phone Number & Email (Item 12 and 13)

This information is optional-one; either, neither, or both phone & email may be provided.
If the Department needs to contact the voter, an email address or phone number is very
helpful.
This information is not available to telemarketers, but campaigns may access it for
electioneering or get-out-the-vote purposes. Political Party (Item 14)
The person registering to vote may indicate which (if any) political party they prefer. Currently, there are six qualified parties:
American Independent (not to be confused with independent voters who do not wish
to affiliate with any party) Democratic; Green; Libertarian; Peace & Freedom; Republican. A person may choose not to state a party preference by marking No Party Preference.
Under current State law, No Party Preference voters may vote in any open election.
Permanent Vote-by-Mail (Item 15)
If initialed, this person will be sent a vote-by-mail ballot for every election.

Previous Registration (Item 16)

If this person has been registered before, they should provide as much of their previous
information as possible. To indicate a name change, the new name is listed in Box 1 & 2
and the former name in Box 16.
To change parties, the new party is listed in Box 14 and the previous choice in Box 16.

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Citizenship and Age (Item 17)

The voter must check these boxes to affirm both
citizenship and age eligibility.

Declaration, Signature, Date (Items 18)

This is a legal document. By signing, the person is certifying under
penalty of perjury that they are a citizen, at least 18 years old on Election Day, not in
prison or on parole for a felony, and have provided information that is true and correct.
If someone is unable to sign their name, they can make their mark or a cross. Have a
witness sign next to the mark on Line 18.
Signature stamps, pre-printed labels, and Power of Attorney signatures are not valid for
voter registration.
Optional Voter Information Box
The person may indicate they would like to serve as a poll worker or polling
place owner.
Ethnicity/race information helps us to assign bilingual pollworkers to polling places and
plan production of multilingual election materials.
If a language preference is checked, the voter will receive election materials in that language (if available for that county).

Did someone help you fill out or deliver this form? Question
If someone helps a person fill out their Voter Registration Card, this information must be
completed in the assistants own handwriting
Do not use a stamp, sticker, or label
It must be signed at the time the voter is assisted to register, not before
(but organizational information can be handwritten beforehand)
Write the information TWICE:
1. Once on the registration card side
2. Once on the receipt
The person who is registering keeps the receipt (after signing and completing it).

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Common Omissions
We frequently receive voter registration cards that are
missing information. To avoid processing delays, double-check
that this information is complete:
County (item 5 & 16)
Birthplace (item 10)
Identification number (item 11)
Prior registration (item 16)
Citizen & age boxes (item 17)
Date (item 18)
Signature (item 18)
Returning the Registration Card
To be eligible to vote in a specific election, a persons completed voter registration card
(VRC) must be received by us at least 15 days prior to Election Day.
The card may be mailed backit is postage paid.
It can be delivered in person to the school site drop-off.
Election Dates
First day to apply to vote-by-mail: Monday, February 2
Last day to register to vote: Tuesday, February 17
Election Day: Tuesday, March 3

Prepared by Great Public Schools: Los Angeles.

Updated as of January 20, 2015
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