Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC)

Meeting Times

• 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
• 2nd Thursday of every odd-numbered month
• Remote via Zoom

See log-in information

Agendas & Minutes

Agendas are available prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval.

View Most Recent Agendas and Minutes

Invitation to Interested Members of the Public

We encourage you to consider becoming a committee member. If interested or to find out more, please get in touch with the Yolo County Elections Office at 530-666-8133 or email the elections office.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Able to serve at least one year
• Able to attend meetings (currently virtual)

and

• Experience with accessibility advocacy, outreach, or technology
• Understanding of barriers faced by voters with disabilities

Committee membership is limited; however, all interested voters and advocates are invited to attend and participate.

Overview

The Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC) is an advisory committee to the Yolo County Elections Office.

The Yolo County Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC) assists and advises the Yolo County Elections Office on voting accessibility matters affecting seniors and individuals with disabilities. The Yolo County Elections Office and the VAAC are dedicated to identifying and finding solutions to improve access to voting. The VAAC provides a forum for voicing concerns, providing advice, and creating opportunities for collaboration and outreach within the community.

All meetings are open to the public and public participation is encouraged.

Members of the VAAC are volunteers. There is no stipend or reimbursement for participating in the VAAC.

Focus

The Yolo County Elections Office will pursue opportunities and suggestions provided by the VAAC. These recommendations may lead to actions such as the creation of new voter education and outreach materials, the revision of existing materials, in-person presentations, virtual meetings, or the distribution of educational materials to organizations serving people with disabilities. Other topic areas include:

• Informational materials and website
• Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail (RAVBM) System
• Voter education and outreach materials
• Community group engagement
• Election worker diversity, recruitment, and training
• ADA compliance or usability of voting locations
• Sensitivity and inclusion
• Physical barriers to voting
• Informational barriers to voting
• Best use of social media and multimedia resources
• Promotion of voting accessibility initiatives and events
• Initiatives and events to promote voting
• Disseminating information to local communities

November 5, 2024 General Election

Current activities of the VAAC

• Voting Accessibility Town Hall - Fall 2024
• Website review
• Disability Voting Rights Week - September 9 through September 13
• Collaboration on videos and demos

Pre-Election Preparation Every Election

Prior to each major election and in collaboration with the VAAC, Yolo County will conduct voter education workshops to provide information about:

• The Voter's Choice Act voting model
• Voting equipment accessibility and demonstrations
• Electronically accessing RAVBM and demonstrations of RAVBM
• Ballot Drop Box and Vote Center information
• Successfully voting by mail
  • Signing with a mark rather than a traditional signature (witnessed by someone 18 years or older)
  • Authorizing someone to return your ballot
  • Signing by power-of-attorney on behalf of the voter is not acceptable and does not count
• Limitations on conservatorships and power of attorney relationships
• How to "cure" challenged vote-by-mail ballots missing signatures or signatures not matching

Yolo County is the first county in the State of California to take part in the American Association of People with Disabilities' national, nonpartisan initiative. Please visit our News and Publications page to read about this important proclamation, or visit our YouTube Channel to see the video (with captions).

On June 10, 2024, Jesse Salinas and the Yolo County Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee submitted a letter in support of Senate Bill 1384 (2024 -  Dodd), which, if enacted, would facilitate repairs to powered wheelchairs through independent repair providers. Existing laws have resulted in long wait times for repairs, thus curtailing independence and making voting more difficult.

The letter of support is excerpted below and available to download as Yolo Elections SB 1384 Support Letter (PDF)

Dear Senator Dodd: 

We, Jesse Salinas, Yolo County Registrar of Voters, and the Yolo County Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC), jointly express our support for your powered wheelchair "right-to-repair" bill (SB 1384). 

We recognize transportation and mobility challenges as significant barriers to voting for people with disabilities. Wheelchairs and adaptive equipment are essential for voters to access and navigate voting locations and ballot drop boxes. 

SB 1384 aims to give consumers the right to access resources and repairs necessary to maintain their independence, quality of life, and voting options without undue barriers or costs. 

Three members of the Yolo County VAAC are powered wheelchair users. Like other Californians who use powered wheelchairs, they have faced considerable delays in obtaining necessary repairs. These delays have resulted in being immobilized in bed for months at a time and, in one case, injury due to an extended wait for a technician visit for a simple repair. These are real-life challenges California voters face. 

Powered wheelchairs are more than medical aids; they are lifelines to community and civic engagement. Continuing the limitations to repairs risks excluding voters who rely on powered wheelchairs. 

Therefore, the Yolo County Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee and I strongly urge the passage of Senate Bill 1384. 

Sincerely, 

Jesse Salinas,  Yolo County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/ Registrar of Voters 

Kate Laddish, Yolo County Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee Chair 

VAAC Committees across California

Local Voting Accessibility Advisory Committees across California provide a forum for voters with disabilities, senior communities, their representatives, and advocates to discuss issues they encounter in the voting process while fostering cooperation and building confidence in the election process. VAAC members can recommend accessibility improvements to polling places, voter materials, websites, and county election procedures. Committee members can also provide feedback on polling locations, voting systems, and other accessible matters like voter outreach, and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

Local VAAC committees help election offices open lines of communication with local residents, ensuring elections officials can address issues directly and minimize misunderstandings, preventing misinformation, disinformation, and malformation.

The California State VAAC  page provides information about the Statewide Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee, which is responsible for making recommendations for improving access to voting and election materials on the state level.

The California County LAAC and VAAC  page on the California Secretary of State's website contains a list of the counties that have established local VAAC advisory groups and their corresponding meeting information.