California poll workers will be trained on how to properly deal with transgender and gender-nonconforming voters, The Hill reported on Sunday.
The project, the first of its type in the nation, was announced by California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who said in a press release that his office is partnering with the Equality California Institute ahead of the state's presidential primary next year on March 3.
The initiative aims to better accommodate the 218,400 people in the state who identify as transgender.
The press release said that the training will instruct county registrars the best way to assist voters whose “gender identity, expression, or pronouns don’t match their name on the voter rolls.”
“No one should be denied the right to vote because of their gender identity or expression - and there’s certainly too much at stake next year to let that happen in California,” Equality California Institute Executive Director Rick Zbur said in the release.
In addition, the project intends to provide at all polling stations clear brochures and posters outlining the rights of voters.
“Elections officials have a duty to facilitate the participation of all eligible voters," Padilla said in the release. "By partnering with Equality California we can benefit from their expertise and experience to better train poll workers and ensure a welcoming voting environment for LGBTQ citizens."
He added that "California is proud to be proactive in protecting the voting rights of LGBTQ voters and fostering an inclusive democracy.”
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