RNC Sues California Governor for November Mail-in Ballot Order
by Linus Chua- Governor Newsom signed executive order earlier this month
- RNC chairwoman says mail-in vote can affect election integrity
The Republican National Committee and two other groups filed a lawsuit against California Governor Gavin Newsom to block his executive order allowing mail-in ballots at the November polls, calling it an “illegal and brazen power grab.”
Following the coronavirus outbreak, the Democratic governor said earlier this month that every registered voter in the state would receive a mail-in ballot for the November election. While in-person voting options will be available, “no one should be forced to risk their health to exercise” their right to cast their ballot.
“Democrats continue to use this pandemic as a ploy to implement their partisan election agenda, and Governor Newsom’s executive order is the latest direct assault on the integrity of our elections,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement, echoing earlier comments by President Donald Trump.
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The suit, filed with the National Republican Congressional Committee and the California Republican Party, said the order meant mail-in ballots would be sent to inactive voters, which would include citizens who have moved or even died.
Michael Chertoff, secretary of Homeland Security in the George W. Bush administration, said November’s election should feature mail-in ballots, more curb-side voting, and other ways for Americans to “exercise their very important franchise” during a pandemic. “There’s never been a demonstration of widespread fraud or misbehavior in mail-in ballots,” Chertoff, who’s also a Republican, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Following Newsom’s executive order, Mike Garcia, a former Navy fighter pilot, defeated Democratic state Assemblywoman Christy Smith in an election where most of the ballots were cast by mail. The win also marked the first time since 2011 that a Republican won a Democratic-held House seat in a special election.