A recently passed law in California requires the state to send mail-in ballots to nearly 22 million registered voters in June and November of every election year starting on Jan. 1, 2022, The Epoch Times reported on Thursday.
Assembly Bill 37, drafted by Democratic state Assemblyman Marc Berman, was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 27.
"Data shows that sending everyone a ballot in the mail provides voters access. And when voters get ballots in the mail, they vote," Berman said during a Senate committee hearing in July, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The bill permanently codifies the temporary COVID-19 vote-by-mail system and makes California the eighth state to enact a universal mail-in ballot option, per the ET.
The Democratic governor believes the change will "increase access to democracy."
"Last year, we took unprecedented steps to ensure all voters had the opportunity to cast a ballot during the pandemic, and today we are making those measures permanent after record-breaking participation in the 2020 presidential election," Newsom said in a statement, according to the LA Times.
"As states across our country continue to enact undemocratic voter suppression laws, California is increasing voter access, expanding voting options, and bolstering elections integrity and transparency," he added, per the ET.
Remote voting is the preferred participation method for most California voters. A majority of votes cast in statewide elections over the past decade have been from somewhere other than a physical voting location, according to the LA Times.
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