It’s official, vote-by-mail is here to stay in California. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law Monday.
The move to approve Assembly Bill 37 was made “to increase access to democracy and enfranchise more voters,” Newsom said in a statement.
AB 37 requires all counties that do not conduct an all-mailed ballot election to provide at least two vote-by-mail drop-off locations, or at least one drop-off for every 30,000 registered voters.
In a jurisdiction with fewer than 30,000 registered voters, the bill would require at least one vote by mail ballot drop-off location.
“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 said in a statement.
The practice of sending vote-by-mail ballots to every registered voter first began in California in 2020, and was extended through 2021 as a safety measure to counteract pandemic-related disruptions and resulted in record voter participation.
“Last year we took unprecedented steps to ensure all voters had the opportunity to cast a ballot during the pandemic and today we are making those measures permanent after record-breaking participation in the 2020 presidential election,” Newsom said.
The California Senate passed the bill and sent it to the governor’s office about two weeks ago. Now that it’s been signed by Newsom, it means mail-in ballots will be sent to Californians in every election going forward.
“When voters get a ballot in the mail, they vote,” Assemblymember Marc Berman, the author of AB 37, said in a statement.
“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.”
In addition to AB 37, the governor signed Monday:
-AB 319 by Assemblymember Suzette Valladares (R-Santa Clarita) – Political Reform Act of 1974: contributions: foreign governments or principals
-AB 796 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) – Voter registration: California New Motor Voter Program
-AB 1367 by Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell) – Political Reform Act of 1974: committee accounts and campaign funds
-AB 1495 by Assemblymember Luz Rivas (D-San Fernando Valley) – Vacancy elections
-AB 1590 by Committee on Elections – Political Reform Act of 1974
-SB 35 by Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) - Elections
-SB 503 by Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) – Voting: ballots and signature verification
-SB 594 by Senator Steve Glazer (D-Contra Costa) – Elections: redistricting
-SB 686 by Senator Steve Glazer (D-Contra Costa) – Campaign disclosure: limited liability companies
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