Governor Gavin Newsom said California could make a permanent switch to sending all voters mail-in ballots, for all future elections, because it has worked so well during the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s working in other states that have been doing that for some time,” Newsom said.
The governor noted that he is open to making California a state where all voters receive ballots by mail, following the record early turnout for this year’s general election. More than 12 million voters submitted ballots before the polls opened.
Newsom said the state had been slowly moving toward remote voting, even before the pandemic.
“We’ve been doing that for years and years, locally,” he added. “We’re seeing more and more focus on absentee ballots, more mail-in ballots. Other states do mail only, but providing traditional alternative in-person voting is, also, I think, a wonderful thing. So, we’re trying to balance both those things.”
Newsom said his staff will be discussing the options for mail-in voting with the legislature. One key issue is working out a reliable ballot tracking system to ensure that voters are confident in the new voting process.
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