JFSLA Hosts Flex Vote Centers in Partnership with the LA County Registrar/County Clerk

In an effort to encourage clients, staff, and volunteers to vote, JFSLA partnered with the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk to host Flex Vote Centers at the JFS Valley Storefront in North Hollywood and the JFS SOVA Pantry in Van Nuys. 

“The Flex Vote Centers are part of the coordinated JFS Voter Engagement Project,” said Nancy Volpert, JFSLA Senior Director of Public Policy and Community Engagement. “It is part of our effort to share with staff, clients and volunteers why voting matters, how to participate and how elections have a direct impact on their day-to-day life.” Many JFSLA clients rely on government benefits such as Medi-Cal and CalFresh, and JFSLA depends on the allocation of government funds to continue providing life-improving services to people in our community. It is important for eligible community members to become empowered voters and help protect funding for critical services. 

The LA County Flex Vote Center Program, which began in 2020, was designed to meet “hard-to-reach” voters and maximize their participation. Hard-to-reach voters are recognized by the Flex Vote Center Program as underserved populations such as: people living in senior facilities, people experiencing homelessness, voters with disabilities, and voters that are geographically isolated.  

“We hope that by providing Flex Vote Centers at our program sites we can make voting simpler and more convenient, so clients and staff can access the system without having to go to a separate location,” said Volpert.  

This was JFSLA’s second time hosting Flex Vote Centers. JFSLA also participated in 2020, prior to the pandemic, with the JFS Valley Storefront becoming one of the original sites involved in the Flex Vote Center Program.  

“When the opportunity to apply again this year became available, we applied and were fortunate to be selected for not just one site this time, but two,” said Davina Cohanghadosh, Public Policy Associate.  

JFSLA Volunteer Amalia Mali Polus was present at the JFS Valley Store Front location to greet voters and help them feel more comfortable during the process. 

“JFSLA is a great organization,” said Polus. “We are lucky to have a building in the city and a building here in the Valley, which makes these types of events very accessible. JFSLA set up these events so it would be convenient for people to vote – people are not in a rush, they take their time, and the place is very clean and big enough since we are still in COVID times.” 

The JFS Valley Store Front hosted the vote center on June 1st and the Van Nuys SOVA Pantry on June 2nd. Each location had socially distanced voting booths and a check-in station for voters. JFSLA hopes the accessibility of each location empowered voter participation among groups that are less likely to vote.  

The JFS Voter Engagement Project promotes voter engagement by providing voting flex centers, informational materials, reminders about voting deadlines, links to non-partisan resources, and informational sessions for clients, volunteers, and staff along with other resources. Educated and engaged voters can help protect the interests of those who cannot always represent themselves, like children or non-citizen community members. Voting matters and plays a critical role in allowing organizations like JFSLA to continue providing services to the people of Los Angeles. 

To learn more about the JFS Voter Engagement Project, please visit: https://www.jfsla.org/media-resource/voter-engagement-project2022/