SAN FRANCISCO - The Republican National Committee and the California Republican Party have sued California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Secretary of State Alex Padilla over the use of mail-in ballots for the upcoming November elections.
The suit calls an executive order issued by Newsom, which would automatically send mail-in ballots to every registered voter in the state because of the COVID-19 pandemic, “a brazen power grab” and says it will lead to voter fraud.
Under Newsom’s order, ballots would go to inactive and invalid voters, those who have moved, died or don’t want ballots, the suit claims. “He has created a recipe for disaster,” the federal lawsuit states.
“Elections and the right to vote are foundational to our democracy,” Newsom said in a statement on CA.gov. “No Californian should be forced to risk their health in order to exercise their right to vote.”
In a statement to the Northern California Record, Padilla called the lawsuit a part of President Donald Trump’s “smear campaign” against mail-in voting.
“Facilitating the opportunity for all registered voters to vote by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic is not a partisan issue — it’s a moral imperative that will protect voting rights and public health,” Padilla said. “Vote-by-mail has been used safely and effectively in red, blue and purple states for years. We will not let our democracy be a casualty of this pandemic.”
Every registered voter is already mailed a ballot in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Utah, Padilla pointed out.
"California county elections officials check each and every vote-by-mail ballot that is cast,” he added.
The voter’s signature on a mail-in ballot is compared to the one on their voter registration record.
“If a signature is missing or does not match the registration record, elections officials will reach out to the voter,” he explained. “If the voter does not respond and provide a missing/corrected signature, the ballot will not count.”
The state also offers a tool that allows voters to be updated by text message, email or phone on whether their ballots have been received and counted, Padilla said.