California Expands Mail-In Voting in Defiance of Opposition

(Bloomberg) -- California Governor Gavin Newsom doubled down on his efforts to use mail-in voting for the presidential election despite Republican resistance, ordering counties to set up drop boxes for ballots nearly a month before election day to expand accessibility during the coronavirus pandemic.

In an executive order signed Wednesday, Newsom told county election officials to have drop boxes open to receive ballots on Oct. 6. Walk-in polling stations must open at least three days before the Nov. 3 election. And with virus cases still rising in California, each county must offer enough polling stations to ensure social distancing for the voters inside.

Newsom, a Democrat, last month ordered that all registered voters in the state receive a mail-in ballot for the November election, a move President Donald Trump labeled an invitation to widespread fraud. The Republican National Committee has sued to stop officials from sending the ballots.

Newsom has cast mail-in ballots as necessary to ensure Californians can vote during the ongoing outbreak. On Wednesday, he also linked his new order to the protests gripping the country over the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

“As the demonstrations across the country remind us, civic participation is critical to our democracy,” Newsom said Wednesday in a press release. “If we are to address the racial inequities that exist in our institutions, policies and representation, we must ensure that all eligible Californians have an opportunity to safely cast their ballot.”