“Safe and Secure Ballots: What Voters Need to Know” Seminar

The League of Women Voters for the Charlottesville Area is holding a Sunday Seminar entitled “Safe and Secure Ballots: What Voters Need to Know” on September 12, 2021, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. The seminar will take place at the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library’s Central Branch, in the third-floor Swanson Room. This event will also be offered online.

With the next election only a few months away, voting security is an increasingly hot topic. However, with 24-hour news cycles and social media postings, the public is bombarded with commentary about this subject that can be truthful, misinformed, or intentionally false. How can voters sift through all of it and truly understand what their city or county does to ensure all ballots are safely and securely handled?

In this seminar, these local election officials will help clarify this critical issue by describing what voting security looks like in their jurisdictions, from registration to ballot counting:
• Jake Washburne, General Registrar of Voters for Albemarle County, has held this position for over 15 years. He is responsible for implementing state and federal election regulations and laws for over 71,000 registered voters in twenty-eight precincts.
• Taylor Yowell, Acting Director of Elections and General Registrar for the City of Charlottesville, serves approximately 34,000 registered voters in four wards with nine voting precincts.

The League invites the public to attend this free event. Masks are requested in the library, even for the fully vaccinated. Attendees may park at the Market Street parking garage one block away. Those wishing to attend online can obtain a Zoom link by emailing [email protected].

Founded in 1920, the League of Women Voters is a non-partisan organization that works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. The League looks forward to continuing its mission with this event.