The Antelope Valley Times

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Following LA County’s lead, state will send mail ballots to all CA voters

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LOS ANGELES – Echoing a move taken last week by Los Angeles County, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Friday calling for every registered voter in California to receive a mail-in ballot for the November presidential election.

“There’s a lot of concern and anxiety around this November’s election in terms of making sure that you can conduct yourself in a safe way and to make sure your health is protected,” Newsom said.

He said providing all voters with a mail-in ballot will give them “the choice not to feel like they have to go into a concentrated, dense environment where their health may be at risk” due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Newsom said the mail-in ballots will not be a substitute for physical voting locations, which will still be offered. He said the executive order he signed Friday also calls for the development of a plan by the end of the month on the locations of voting sites for the election.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla said the move makes California “the first state in the nation to respond to COVID-19 by taking this action of sending every voter a ballot in the mail in advance of the November election.”

“I think that’s huge,” he said. “There is no safer, physically distancing, healthier way to exercise your right to vote than from the safety and convenience of your own home.”

He noted that in California, sending in a vote-by-mail ballot does not require postage.

“It’s great for our public health. It’s great for voting rights. It’s going to be great for participation because this November’s election is slated to be the most consequential election of our lifetime.”

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors last week agreed to send vote-by-mail ballots to all registered voters in the county for the election.

“It is hard to imagine that, amid the coronavirus crisis, we have a major election coming up this November,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said at the time. “No one should have to choose between their health and their right to vote. We don’t know what challenges we will be facing in this pandemic this fall, but by sending every voter a mail-in-ballot we can ensure that everyone can cast their ballot safely, no matter what the future holds.”

President Donald Trump has expressed opposition to vote-by-mail balloting, citing what he calls a large potential for fraud.

Michael Ahrens, spokesman for the Republican National Committee, called Newsom’s action problematic.

“While we have always supported absentee voting, California is a case study in why automatically sending this many ballots is a problem,” Ahrens said. “Just last year, a court found that L.A. County had 1.5 million ineligible voters on their registration lists, meaning there were 112% more registered voters than adults living in the county. We are weighing our legal options to ensure the integrity of the election.”

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Filed Under: Home, Los Angeles County, Politics

9 comments for "Following LA County’s lead, state will send mail ballots to all CA voters"

  1. VOTE IN PERSON, PEOPLE!!!! IF WE CAN STAND IN LINE IN GROCERY STORES AND SIX FEET APART THEN WE CAN VOTE PERSON!!! HELL DR.FAUCI AND THE NEW COVID-19 DOCTOR JUST SAID, ITS SAFE TO VOTE IN PERSON!!

  2. The only way a Democrat can win in the election voter fraud
    Newsom you’ll be out of office anyway you’re a lousy Governor go stick with your little jerky relative Polaski

  3. This is to give people “the choice not to feel like they have to go into a concentrated, dense environment where their health may be at risk” due to the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, when the majority of these people wait in an hour-long line at the grocery store every week, they don’t seem to be too concerned, but when it comes to voting, NOW they’re suddenly at risk? Instead of wasting money on these ballots, how about running PSA’s reminding everyone that most polls open two weeks before election day? Then the “concentrated, dense environment” could be avoided.

    When it’s “not safe” to vote but is “safe” to stand in line at the grocery store, it’s no longer about “safety”.

  4. Another attempt at voting fraud by the democrats to steal this election. Gruesome and Nasty Nancy are lying cheating filth that belong in the garbage!

  6. Link to track your ballot: https://www.lavote.net/av_inquiry

    It is imperative that we ensure our ballots are counted accurately for the congressional special election 5/12/20 to replace Katie Hill as well as in November. (Katie freakin Hill – LMAO – another great Democratic stateswoman.)

    Don’t let them cheat us and stuff the ballot boxes with dead people and illegal aliens. If you love this country (USA by the way for Dims) vote Garcia and Trump.

    ******* KAG ****** TRUMP 2020/2024/2028/2032 *******

      • My father, who always voted by mail, passed away almost 6 years ago. Every election since then, his mail-in ballot has arrived at my house. The first few times I wrote “Deceased” on the envelope and returned it. Now I just shred them. If the state government has no idea that my father is dead, even after I informed them several times, how can they guarantee that other dead people will not be casting votes? When it’s “not safe” to vote, but it is “safe” to stand in line to buy beer and lottery tickets, it is no longer about “safety”.