April is "Voter Education Month" in Calif.

2006 brings many changes in voter registration laws and procedures. The Secretary of State's Office and the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors are sponsoring April as "Voter Education Month" to inform citizens of these changes and how easy and convenient it is to register and vote.

Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections recently added a new "Voter Lookup" feature on their website to assist the public in determining if they are a registered voter in Sacramento County. You can visit this website by going to www.saccounty.net/elections/ and following the links. This site also allows voters to view their sample ballot and look up the location of their polling place.

New Registration Requirements:
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) passed in 2002 brought new changes to voter registration procedures that all states and counties must comply with before a voter can be added to the rolls. If you register to vote for the first time, or re-register after January 1, 2006, you must provide a drivers license or state identification number. If you do not have these forms of ID, you must provide the last four digits of your social security number. This information must be verified before a voter is put on the registered voters list. Incomplete or missing information must be researched by elections staff prior to a voter attaining valid registration status.

Voters who registered by mail and failed to document their ID number on their registration form must show ID at the polls.

Accessible Voting:
As of January 1, 2006, HAVA rules state that all voters must be able to cast their ballot privately and independently, including those with disabilities. Sacramento County Elections introduced the AutoMARK, a voter assist terminal during the special election in November 2005 to comply with this law. An AutoMARK device will be available at all polling places.

Provisional Voting:
You have the right to cast a provisional ballot if your name is not on the roster of voters at your polling place. The polling official will assist you with this process and your ballot will be placed in an envelope for processing after the election. If your eligibility to vote can be verified, your ballot will be counted. The precinct officer will also give each voter who cast a provisional ballot information on where and when to they can confirm that their vote was counted, and if not, why it was not counted.