and there's a portal there for cyber civics quiz. then the other one is gotvoterid.com. thanks. >> thank you. >> thank you for all those great presentations. it's exciting just to see, and i'm so glad at our conference we're having time to do this. some of you might have some exciting ideas, and this might have inspired you. we have a little bit of time if there's some quick other reports from other states. not to put any of you on the spot. secretary reed, please. >> i mentioned earlier in the conference that secretary merrill and i are involved with our state public affairs network, which is analogous to c-span, which is filming us today. needless to say, it's a tremendous vehicle for the

public becoming better informed about their government. they're interested in coming and doing a presentation to us, actually the national association, a public affairs networks, and interested in i think with parngships with the secretary of states around the country. ptded to know if you'd be interested in doing it. i could arrange for the voter participation committee or the full conference. >>. >> we should take na information and make it as part of the discussion planning -- or plans for the tabloid. >> i don't know p if it's more realistic to wait for the conference in puerto rico. >> washington in the winter, puerto rico in the summer. we can see. lieutenant-governor. >> in alaska we will have to t send out a voter card to every voter in the state with the redistricting that's happening. so we're in the process of

redesigning the voter card, and i'd be interested in suggestions from other secretaries on how that works in cure state. we're going to try to tie it to a mobile app so it can show you where your precinct is, bring you to the updated ballot for your precinct, and i hope i can find room for the alaska flag on the back. we'll see. at any rate, i'd be interested in what other folks have done and if there's already some software premade on that. we're interested in that, too. >> i think all of us are just now sort of getting to that point. it seems like this is something we could put out through our network, and for even the secretaries that aren't here, to be able to get more feedback. we have one particular idea. >> yes. louisiana started prior to our october primary, we have on a smartphone where you can now pull up your individual

information, how you're registered. it brings you to your precinct by gps map, and that was very important because of reappropriatement, and it pulls up your individual ballot on to review from the comfort of your home so you can familiarize yourself with it. we're not certain if we're the first state that's done that, but we have that now availablemeavailable. it's been very well received. i had difficulty getting it out like i wanted it, because i was a candidate, and i think the news media felt like they were promoting me. it's getting legs, and i'd certain share that with anyone. >> great, thank you. any others? >> we did the same thing, but we started the texting in mississippi. we started out texting for myself and initially on election day we received hundreds of texts from them directly to us

and we called them back. texting is very effective on election day who are out moving around. >> thank you. for those who couldn't hear, the great success in mississippi using texting both before and also on election day. i think a number of states are beginning to step into that technology. thank you. others? secretary. >> thank you. one of the -- south dakota has a number of where do i vote widgets so people find out where to vote on the primary election day. something i wanted to do since taking office and we've been testing it on a number of communities is r for the smaller elections. your city elections and school elections and getting that sample ballot using the same system so that people are becoming more familiar that i need to go to the secretary of state site. it's going to tell me where i need to vote for any election,

whether it's the big ones or small ones. that's been very successful in the communities that we've tested so far. >> thank you. others? i want to share one idea that we're just talking about in minnesota, but i think it's perhaps just a refreshment for something that i know almost all of you do. in minnesota we found that our vote in honor of veteran program really does touch some people who maybe have become discouraged or cynical or had not connected to the voting system. that whole program had really brought them into a new participati participation. keeping in mind this is the sufk centennial year of the civil war, we're beginning to talk about a vote in honor of a civil war veteran as a little bit of a slight change and perhaps a new angle on that. not every state has a -- perhaps

the same possibility, same capacity, but it's something you might consider if you will be revving up your own stroet in honor of a veteran program this year. you might consider that as another angle for a program like that. any other final comments for the good of the whole body? please. secretary. >> with many of us changing to different voting machines and a new round probably coming, one of the things we did in michigan that seemed to be very successful is we paired with our local clerks who actually conduct elections and we took the gently used machines that were used to vote for presidents, congresspeople, they're own secretary of state. we coded and got ballots from the election for free and we held an election for the teachers on the time they came in for training. we got to have elections.

many of the schools in oakland county and michigan. it took all the mystery out of it. i thought it was for high school kid. as young as first grade were using them. the kids were so excited to be able to vote. they put their fists up in the air like they won a big sporting event. i would encourage people if they have gently used voting machines they could pair up with the teachers so the kids are provided an opportunity whether they're voting for what kind of ice cream they like or the homecoming queen or student council, i think it's an important lessons in civics that these machines are really, really easy to use. it's a lot of fun to go them go from 152 to 153 and it was you as a child. >> great suggestion. secretary. >> ross miller from nevada. nevada is an early vote state,

and we make very extensive you using of our early voting system. well over half of the voters will have cast ballots in nevada prior to election day, and when we implement early voting, we put it in unusual locations. it goes in shopping malls and libraries, even supermarkets, which seems unusual to some. we may be the only jurisdiction in the country where you're likely to hear a call for a wet mop at local booth 96, but it works for us. one of the components we use there that has been proven effective is that we purchase with funds voting trailers. they're trailers fully ada compliant that we can drag around to anywhere in the county or the state that are fully equipped with voting machines. we can bring them to the campuses. they rotate throughout the voting period at different locations just about every day. those trailers are also available in the event of an emergency on election day to be pulled out and substituted as a

polling location. so we've had those in place the last couple of cycles, and it's proven very effective. >> great idea. >> secretary reed. >> i just throw out one more. in 2008 our webb master said we ought to have an app for election results. i said why? and he did it very quickly, and i thought who would know we're doing this. that night as i went through the various functions, election night functions up in the seattle bellevue area, people kept grabbing me saying this app is terrific. they're going like this. so i suggest to you that this is a great way to get out word about the election results. >> thank you. we do have one more item for general discussion, and it's the plans that we might put into

motion around mass or individually around national voter registration month. the idea that came forward about a national voter registration day. we wanted to find out if any states have been thinking about this yet concretely within your own state, and also people's opinions about whether this should be part of what we do as nass in terms of working together in support of national voter registration month and aa specific day. is there any update that would be important for us to hear before we enter into a general conversation? >> well, we have a resolution that says that september is national voter registration month. we originally had a day. the day kept changing. other things kept coming into conflict, so we went with the month. it's not just election year, it's every year. september is national voter registration month. if you're looking at a day for

2012, i don't see how that would be a bad thing. >> are any states clued in making plans? is this on your radar screens yet? please. >> this may not apply to everybody, but we do drive-through voter registration. so if you've got an old bank that's a head drive through lanes or that's not using them or a restaurant, and we basically sent people out with clipboards. the last time we did it, we had bi bicycles, wheelchairs, skateboards, pedestrians, every kind of device or human power comes through. you can see our people out, you know, sticking their head in the driver's window -- side window

with a clipboard, and it always gets really great tv coverage because the visual is good and we have a statue of liberty costume. somebody from elections always dresses up in that, and the last guy who dressed up the statue of liberty with this big bushy beard was just the best statue of liberty ever. maybe it's california. i don't know. it's one more than any other voter registration thing we've done, draws a lot of television media which is difficult to get. the highlights that the deadline is coming up. we had a gentleman who came through at about 10 to 12:00 on the last day, and he stuck his feet out the window and said i'm in my house slippers. i've never registered to vote before, i'm 59 years old. i'm going to do it this time. that's the kind of story that we all go to our graves with.

if you do it, send me some pictures, because it would be really fun to see the different regionals. if you do it in some states, you need to be in a snowmobile suit. >> thank you. anyone planning for special events for national voter registration month or national voter registration day? not yet. oh. please. >> so on the non-profit side a number of youth organizations and other sifk organizations have been taking about the same idea, so maybe there's an opportunity it to collaborate. we're in the same situation that you say where we picked the month of september, but then we need one day on organize around as a community. we picked september 25th. while at rock the vote i'm more of what they call the stake, so i manage all the operations and make sure scherr working very

effectively and efficiently, we still bring what my staff call our sizzle, which are the artists and celebrities that can make a day like that actually become more promoted and more well-known. so if there is a day that you all pick, do let me know, and maybe we can collaborate or if september 25th works for some of you, we're asking every our musicians and artists on tour to take that day and talk about it and join us on the streets to register voters. we're asking corporate partners to turn over whether the facebook home page or google home page on that one day and promote voter registration. it's still in the idea form. >> september 25th pretty set, looks like that will be the day? any reactions or questions or thoughts about how we as nass might participate, might partner with this? >> just each state sounds like

we could do it. >> it seems like we're now beginning to get into the thought process of what do we do with all our redistricting? what's going to happen as we begin to roll out programs? today's agenda has been pretty far-reaching about a lot of different, exciting ideas from ipads all the way out. i feel like we've gathered a lot of information. we've sparked a lot of ideas. we have conversations that we will continue within the committee thinking about the summer but also looking into the fall, voter participation will rise in the media's interests over the course of the year. secretary schultz and i will be getting out to you with the information from this event with the links and stuff working with staff. we also want to pull together a phone call very soon to begin looking into the future and making you use of your expertise as we keep nass' real leadership

position on promoting voter participation on the cutting edge. so any last-minute comments or questions, suggestions before we adjourn? secretary merrill. please come to this microphone. there, that one. >> just a thought on a question i have out there along these lines. i don't know how many states are considering online voter registration. i'm introducing it this year in connecticut, but if, you know, is somehow to get a survey where people are on this, if there are others considering it, because it seems to me that's a great tool for the coming fall in terms of voter participation. so maybe if this committee could look into it and see where other people are on this, and i know that the rock the vote people are using the online registration -- i mean, that's something you would see as a tool for registering young people. i don't know if anyone else is

working on this issue. >> i think there's a whole lot of activity on the issue. i think there's at least one major report about where it is, but i think there's recent developments and also some states, i know, in nevada. we were talking about what would have been their preliminary results as they've stepped on this process. i think secretary reed had new information. so one of the things we'll do as a take-away from this is people would like to hear where is online voter registration? are there any new stories, new studies, new data? if you are moving something or something is moving in your state legislature, let us know, and p if there's a way that the sharing of information can go a little more quickly, the states who have adopted this have had excellent results. when those results are actually put in front of legislators and also the cost benefit, it's pretty clear that this is going to be an important part of the future, and the more we can use

real data for actually having conversations the better we'll be. we've got, i think, some excellent data. anyone who is moving on this agenda in your state right now or any of you early adopters want to say anything before we close? >> sorry, don't mean to talk so much. but i do have advice, because i tried two different sessions. secretary brown did down in oregon and she worked very closely with me and i coached her a lot and some of the others. i found really important with the legislators is to point out that compared to registration by mail, it is a more secure process because we absolutely require them to have a driver's license or state i.d. issued by the driver's licle, to do this have to have gone before state officials, have their picture taken, sign it, and then we

connect into that database. they're surprised because they assume bayes it's online we don't know who the people are. is there somebody really there. that is a real key point in selling this before the state legislatures. >> secretary. >> we've had a hard time in ohio convincing the legislature that this is the right way to go. in addition to the security issue, which we feel most definitely will help us enhance vote security, we also believe that it will save at least a dollar a registration. most of that savings will accrue at the local level where they will not have to key in the information that can be electronically transferred and at a time when there are tight budgets for local officials,

this is one way that we have been advocating not only on the voting security side but on the cost savings side. we hope we will eventually prevail in that discussion. >> we've had that in place for several years and have been widely successful with it. the only thing i would suggest to you or any other state -- i agree with mr. reed and others. it was our -- i sold it on an economic basis. make sure, at least we do, if you register online, that the first time you vote, you have to do it in person. you cannot ask for a mail ballot. we use that point to verify the signature put online, and like mr. reed said, you don't have aa problem with a photo i.d. issue and what have you. we've had no problems with it whatsoever. and not on this same subject, but while i have the mike, i know a lot of you experiencing a

lot of difficulties with picture i.d. at the point of voting. louisiana has had that for about eight or nine years, never challenged. but i think the secret to our success from the challenge is we do not turn you away if you do not have a picture i.d. we allow you to sign an affidavit at the point of voting. the commissioner verifies certain pertinent information, date of birth and mother's maiden name and the like to verify who you are. you sign an affidavit and don't turn you away. that is maybe the secret of getting around some of the court challenges you have. >> thank you. i want to remind folks that nass.org, our association website, has a tremendous amount of information and online tools and gadgets and widgets and all of that. so that's something to always use as a background reference. but also the nass directory of

the 2012 presidential primary and caucuses, the calendar. tomorrow is big, but it's just the beginning, in fact. so please make use of that, and if you're talking to reporters or media who have kind of broader interests, be sure to reference them to the nass site and to that report. lieutenant-governor, were you grabbing the mike there? >> thank you. on the secretary's point from louisiana i wanted to ask the question, do you require people to vote in person the first time after they register online? >> no, they vote by mail. the fact that they actually had to register before driver's license, you know, officer and then the picture is taken. then we get the signature and compare that signature because we vote by mail. that's how we verify, plus

obviously allow voter registration challenges. >> as i said in our last meeting, we're trying to make the system honorable at each step. so i think we'll probably go closer to louisiana's advice first. >> one suggestion on that front. how we're designing our program is the only way you can register online is to have a driver's license or state i.d. where you had to provide your signature already. we can take from the bmv and have it they can click a box to authorize them to use a signature on file is their voter registration signature so we can avoid that step and have a signature on file for all of those new registrants immediately. >> and a number of our vendors here have been very active, particularly in some of the early states. arizona was really the pioneer.

a terrific system, terrific success. so i highly encourage you to talk to our vendors as well. this is a big project and process, and there's a lot of exciting ideas just about how working more closely with our dmvs and motor vehicles, we could be bringing those photos however we do it into the polling place so we don't have to fool around with a lot of the different things we're engaged in now. we also know the technology is going to transform itself over and over and over. it's our ability to be flexible and innovative is important, but sharing information among all of our officers, our states is going to be really crucial so we can keep ourselves on the forefront. i think we don't want to be driven by outside forces. we want to be leaders. we're going to have to be active at helping each other to stay in that leadership role as we go through this year. we want to make sure that this voter participation committee is

thinking about how to make sure more and more of those particularly young voters are participating, but we also want to do that in a way that makes sure that we're able to handle our jobs and do them well with less money, with more people, with just more pressure. so the more we share our best practices and great ideas, just the better we will do at our job. any last words, secretary? thank you so much, everybody, and we're quitting a couple minutes early. so make good use of that time. thanks a lot.

use c-span's 2012 website to watch videos of candidates on the campaign trail. see what the candidates say on issues important to you and read the latest from candidates, political reporters and people like you from social media sites at cspan.org/campaign2012. tonight on the communicators, the third in our series from this year's consumers electronics show on developments in communications, consumer technology and policy. this week with the head of mercedes-benz cars and toyota's vice president for advanced technology. they will discuss voice command,

internet integration and increasing car safety n-some cases aiming for crash-free cars. the communicators at 8:00 eastern on c-span2. >> a new america where freedom is made real for all without regard to race or belief or economic conditions. i need a new america which everything lastingly attacks the ancient idea that men can solve their differences by killing each other. >> as candidates campaign for president this year we look back at 14 men that ran for the office and lost. go to our website cspan.org to see our contenders to see video that had a lasting impact on

american politics. >> the products of the rad clal liberal left offer only one solution to the problems which confront us. they tell us again and again and again we should spend our way out of trouble and spend our way into eye better tomorrow. >> cspan.org/thecontenders. >> next, a portion of the recent hispanic leadership network's inspiring action conference. this panel looks at the relationship between immigration and the u.s. work force. it's the third such conference since the organization launched last january. the hispanic leadership network is focused on engaging the hispanic community on conservative policy issues. this is 45 minutes. >> now, we are going to kick off the afternoon portion of our conference with a discussion, very important discussion on

work force and immigrants, dispelling the myths. on the stage where p public policy issues are debated, there is perhaps no other topic left that lends itself to more more misinterpretation that ends in polarization and welcome the panelists about this stage. this is about immigrants and the work force. this is an important panel, and i think it's history in the making here. i'd like to call up all the panelists. alex is the dean of the college of law as the university of florida university. he served justice samuel alito jr. and as judge for the court of appeals for the third circuit. as a senate confirmed member of the nation labor relations board, he's also had the distinct honor to be the first hispanic to serve as assistant attorney general for civil righ