San Francisco Sun

The Department of Elections and the Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) are collaborating to expand access to election information for residents who speak languages other than English. This effort will also inform eligible non-citizen members of the community about registering and voting in the upcoming Board of Education election.

In June 2024, the Department of Elections’ Outreach staff conducted a Non-Citizen Voting (NCV) Registration training workshop with OCEIA’s Community Ambassadors Program. Over 40 OCEIA Ambassadors attended this training, gaining knowledge and tools to assist non-citizens in understanding their voting options for the November 5, 2024, Board of Education election.

Additionally, the outreach team is participating in OCEIA’s San Francisco Pathways to Citizenship Initiative (SFPCI) Workshop series. These workshops serve immigrant green card holders in San Francisco and the Bay Area by providing free naturalization application help and support resources. The outreach staff shares information about non-citizen voting at these workshops and offers registration services.

The collaboration also includes SFPCI Lawyers in the Library workshops hosted with OCEIA and the San Francisco Public Library’s Main Branch. Volunteer attorneys assist green card holders with U.S. citizenship applications at these events. The outreach team supports these workshops by supplying NCV materials such as registration forms, guides, and posters.

“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.”

Jorge Rivas, director of OCEIA and secretary of the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission stated, “Working alongside the Department of Elections ensures that we are able to expand civic engagement for immigrant communities in San Francisco. 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 Board of Education election are 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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