California lawmakers sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a bill Thursday that would bolster California’s plan to mail every voter a ballot for the November election — and passed it with support from several Republicans, despite monthslong criticism of absentee voting from President Donald Trump and other GOP leaders.
Newsom has already ordered county elections officials to send all eligible Californians ballots in an effort to prevent the general election from becoming a coronavirus health hazard. But that directive has drawn multiple legal challenges — including from the California Republican Party — so enshrining the all-mail mandate in statute puts it on stronger legal footing.
Lawmakers want to avoid a situation like Wisconsin’s April primary, which saw long lines potentially expose voters to other people for long periods. Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) said Assembly Bill 860 would prevent Californians from being effectively disenfranchised. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla also supports the measure.
“No one should have to risk their health and possibly their life to exercise their constitutional right to vote,” Berman said.
The bill would not end in-person voting, which by state law must still be available. A companion measure in the Senate would expand opportunities to physically cast ballots both on Election Day and in the preceding days; a Newsom executive order doing the same is tangled up in a court fight.
The Assembly passed the bill on a 63-3 vote and will send it to Newsom. With his signature, the bill would become law immediately since it was written as an urgency measure.
Republicans who supported the bill commended language ensuring that ballots will not be mailed to inactive voters who have not participated in recent elections. The Trump administration has seized on a lawsuit finding inactive voters on the rolls to falsely claim California is mailing ballots to ineligible voters.
Mail voting has become a partisan flashpoint as Democrats look to expand the option ahead of the presidential election. Trump has decried mail ballots for disadvantaging Republicans and on multiple occasions has falsely asserted it led to fraud in California. Trump’s reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee have budgeted millions to fight expansions in court.
Source: https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/06/18/california-lawmakers-pass-november-mail-ballot-bill-with-surprising-gop-support-1293679
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The Article Was Written/Published By: Jeremy B. White
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