Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Monday signed legislation making universal vote-by-mail a permanent staple in California, celebrating it as a victory of “increasing voter access.”
On Monday, Newsom signed Assembly Bill 37, which requires a mail-in ballot to be mailed to every registered voter in the state. This makes the Golden State the eighth state in the union to implement this type of law.
“As states across our country continue to enact undemocratic voter suppression laws, California is increasing voter access, expanding voting options and bolstering elections integrity and transparency,” Newsom claimed, bragging of the “unprecedented steps” taken last year, making universal mail-in voting a widespread reality during the pandemic.
“Today we are making those measures permanent after record-breaking participation in the 2020 presidential election,” the Democrat, who recently survived a recall attempt, added.
Assembly member Marc Berman (D), who authored the bill, extended utmost gratitude to Newsom for signing the measure.
“When voters get a ballot in the mail, they vote,” Berman said. “We saw this in the 2020 General Election when, in the middle of a global health pandemic, we had the highest voter turnout in California since Harry Truman was president.”
“As other states actively look for ways to make it harder for people to vote, California is expanding access to an already safe and secure ballot,” he added, parroting false talking points on states pursuing stronger election integrity measures, which a majority of voters support.
Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber also celebrated Newsom’s decision to sign the measure, touting the different ways California voters can now return their ballot — via mail, a drop box, voting center, or polling station.
Despite the commonplace narrative touted by Democrat politicians, poll after poll shows Americans in support of basic election integrity measures — such as providing a valid form of identification — and rejecting the narrative that such laws are “racist” in nature.
