Written by Brandon Lee Romo
With election integrity being a major concern in the 2020 presidential election, we would think that California would try to tighten our election integrity measures or at least preserve the ones that are currently in place. This is not the case, however, as California’s Democrat-controlled Legislature may make it more difficult for election officials to reject ballots due to unmatching signatures.
With California Governor Gavin Newsom expected to be faced with a recall election later this year, mail-in ballots will be a major topic of discussion. The California State Legislature passed, and Newsom signed, a law that requires all registered voters in the state to receive a mail-in ballot for any 2021 election. 86% of California voters utilized mail-in ballots for the 2020 presidential election.
The normal rule is that election officials compare the signature on the mail-in ballot to that of the one on the voter’s registration file. The ballot would be disqualified if the signatures varied too much. For the 2020 election, however, the requirements were relaxed and ballots were accepted even though the signatures may not have matched. This policy is set to expire in July, but a California Legislature bill could make it permanent. This change wouldn’t go into effect until 2022, but if the Legislature wanted to, they could change the rules to have it cover the likely recall election this year.
Director of public policy for the group Disability Rights California, Eric Harris, insisted that the bill “has the best interests of voters in mind.”
Distributing mail-in ballots to every registered voter in the state without true signature verification is a recipe for a voter fraud disaster. The American election process already lacks integrity in a variety of ways. Signature verification is one of the few measures in place that works to protect the rights of legal voters.
A great amount of Californians signed recall petitions because they want change in their home state. Democrat efforts to decrease signature verification is a clear aim to keep their party in power. These sudden changes in regulation could potentially rob Californians of an opportunity for change they not only deserve, but worked so hard for.
Californians, both Democrat and Republican, have joined forces for months to have the chance to elect a new governor. They deserve for this election to be upheld with the utmost integrity so that it can bring the change they have long yearned for. Rather than trying to scheme ways in which they can keep their party in power, Democrats should respect the voices of Californians and begin working for the American people.
Photo via LA Times
