The Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee, and the California Republican Party filed a lawsuit on Sunday over Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to send a mail-in ballot for the November election to every voter. The suit claims that Newsom’s plan redesigns the state’s electoral system and “violates eligible citizens’ right to vote.”
RNC chair Ronna McDaniel said in a statement, “Democrats continue to use this pandemic as a ploy to implement their partisan election agenda, and Gov. Newsom’s executive order is the latest direct assault on the integrity of our elections.”
“CA's election system is already burdened with serious issues. The disastrous Motor Voter program arbitrarily changed voter registration for thousands casting doubt on the integrity and accuracy of our voter rolls,” said @millanpatterson. https://t.co/wcrW2JNp8S
— CAGOP (@CAGOP) May 25, 2020
Among those suing the governor is former Rep. Darrell Issa, who explains why the suit is necessary.
“The reason we filed the suit is the governor had no such authority and there are remedies,” said Issa, who is the Republican contender for the 50th Congressional District.
Issa estimates the directive affects five million California voters who have not opted-in to receive a mail-in ballot. Instead, he wants county registrars to send a notice to those voters and ask if they want a ballot.
“If four million come back I’ll be delighted. If one million come back ‘return to sender no one at that address’ then, in fact, the state will have saved a million ballots they won’t be sending out because they shouldn’t,” explained Issa, who referenced the San Diego County Registrar’s initiative to notify voters who are registered as “no party preference” that were eligible to vote in the Democratic Party’s March primary.
California Democrats are, predictably, trying to make mail-in voting a “moral” issue and efforts opposing them an attempt to “suppress” the vote.
“Expanding vote-by-mail during a pandemic is not a partisan issue — it’s a moral imperative to protect voting rights and public safety. Vote-by-mail has been used safely and effectively in red, blue, and purple states for years,” said Padilla in a statement. “This lawsuit is just another part of Trump’s political smear campaign against voting by mail. We will not let this virus be exploited for voter suppression.”
Issa disputed the notion that the lawsuit was an attempt to suppress voters.
“I want everyone to vote that wants to vote. I want to make sure they get a ballot at the correct address and I want to make sure it’s as simple, easy and predictable for them to vote,” countered Issa.
These are standard Democratic Party talking points. Any attempt by Republicans to guarantee fair and true elections is countered with “voter suppression” arguments — ostensibly because Republicans hate black and brown people. It would be silly if the media treated it like the bad joke that it is.
There’s little doubt there is great potential for fraud in mail-in voting. As we’ve seen time and time again over the years, more tomfoolery with ballots occur the longer the local government hangs on to them. King County in Washington state has become famous for its ballot shenanigans over the years, and has been forced to reform their practices after several contested elections in the state mysteriously ended up going to a Democrat after a Republican led on election night.
There’s not only the potential for fraud in an all-mail-in ballot election; there is greater temptation to commit fraud. Why risk it if you don’t have to?
It’s hoped that by November, the lockdowns will be history and the mask-shamers will have found a new target for their virtue signaling—and our system of voting will not be under dispute or controversy.
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