California wants to do universal vote by mail again despite questionable 2020 results

Staff Report

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State lawmakers brushed aside criticism from government accountability groups and citizens this week, moving forward with a bill that would extend the process of sending unrequested ballots to all registrants on California’s poorly maintained voter rolls.

In a letter of opposition, the Election Integrity Project California (EIPCa) included the preliminary numbers of deceased or relocated individuals who actually “voted,” an indication of irregularities and potential fraud.

“In November 2020, well over 440,000 questionable ballots were sent to registrants likely deceased or moved, and that 24,000 registrants were sent 2 or more ballots,” Ruth Weiss, EIPCa director of legislative oversight told state senators Tuesday in an e-hearing on Senate Bill 29. Many other Californians expressed similar concerns.

Facts exist whether they are denied or not

Nevertheless, Assembly committee members repeatedly said that there is no evidence.

“Just because they refuse to look at the facts, doesn’t mean the facts don’t exist,” Weiss said in an email statement.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association also provided testimony opposing the bill, which would extend the emergency expansion of universal mail-in balloting until January 1, 2022.

“While we appreciate the concerns over safety during a pandemic, we are also aware that more needs to be done to maintain current and accurate voter registration rolls as required by federal law,” said HJTA president Jon Coupal.

‘More than 400,000 ballots likely were mailed to voters who have moved or died’

“In 2019, the state of California and Los Angeles County agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit brought by citizens over this issue. Nonetheless, tens of thousands of Californians were mailed more than one ballot in the 2020 election, and the Secretary of State was informed in October of researchers’ findings that more than 400,000 ballots likely were mailed to voters who have moved or died.”

HJTA is calling for lawmakers to require the Secretary of State to use the data from the state’s electronic ballot-tracking system to produce a public report after every election of how many ballots were mailed out, returned undeliverable, returned completed, counted, and not counted with the reason noted.

EIPCa has documented evidence of election anomalies in the state since 2012, but has gained little traction among professional politicians in Sacramento.

“An unwillingness to look at the evidence diminishes legitimate voters and disenfranchises all eligible voters,” Weiss said.

Committee members called the testimony offensive and badmouthed EIPCa, a non-profit and non-partisan group. Several implied that EIPCa’s work amounted to ‘rhetoric’ that contributed to the January 6 storming of the Capitol, and that the group favors voter suppression.

“This is no basis in fact for this. EIPCa is an organization dedicated to preserving and protecting our Republic and the voting process that underlies it,” Weiss said. “Voting irregularities cause votes to be suppressed, and EIPCa is fighting against this and for the enfranchisement of every eligible voter.”

‘The voice of the people is being silenced and ignored’

EIPCa was not permitted to respond to the attacks on the group or its volunteers. And the many citizens who called in to support EIPCa’s testimony were limited to a few brief remarks.

“This is not a democratic process. The voice of the people is being silenced and ignored.”

As expected, the committee voted 6-1 to pass the bill, bypass the Appropriations Committee and send it directly to the Assembly floor.

EIPCa suggested that citizens opposed to the bill call or write their representative in the State Assembly, which could vote on the measure in the next few days.