Thread: More Californians will vote by mail and fewer at polling places under a new law

SEPT. 29, 2016
3:33 P.M.John Myers

More Californians will vote by mail and fewer at polling places under a new law

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

California voters may be asked to cast more of their ballots by mail as soon as 2018 under a sweeping law signed Thursday, one that would eliminate thousands of neighborhood polling places.

Gov. Jerry Brown's signature on Senate Bill 450 sets in motion a major remodeling of the state's election operations, inspired by a similar system in Colorado. Counties that opt to implement the new system will open community "vote centers" in the weeks before election day that offer last-minute registration and limited in-person voting.

Those counties will also have more places to drop off completed ballots.

“This landmark law will provide voters more options for when, where, and how they cast a ballot," said Secretary of State Alex Padilla in a written statement.

But the move away from polling places could some as a surprise to Californians who have spent decades voting in their neighborhoods. A report released two weeks ago by UC Davis' California Civic Engagement Project found the "vote center" model raised fears with some African Americans about voter suppression and voting access.

Supporters of the new law say voter education efforts will be key to making it work.

The changes to election operations will come in two stages: 14 counties will be able to move toward less in-person voting in 2018, and the remaining counties will be allowed to opt in to the new system in 2020. Counties that implement the new system will have to mail ballots to all registered voters, though Los Angeles County will not have to do so until 2024.

http://www.latimes.com/politics/esse...htmlstory.html

Some will b***h about not having a stamp while others will rise from the grave to mail in their ballots. This should really fix things, huh?

No surprise..... this is how the Demowacks get the votes from illegal aliens, dead people and Mickey Mouse!

"California voters may be asked to cast more of their ballots by mail as soon as 2018 under a sweeping law signed Thursday, one that would eliminate thousands of neighborhood polling places."

http://www.alipac.us/f9/voting-mail-better-way-338281/

Jeffrey J. Land is chairman of the Cherry Hill Republican Organization.

"There is a paper record of the vote you cast. No one can hack your paper ballot."

The only major change I see here is that it will allow entire counties to eliminate polling stations. Already in my county here in CA, there are neighborhoods, entire precincts, that have no polling stations and are strictly Vote By Mail (VBM).

The polling stations are a real mess. While it is a good experience to go to the polls, in practice there are many problems and bad experiences loom all the time.

The worse part is the Provisional Vote system, that allows voters not on the precinct list to cast a ballot. More and more people are using this system to bypass their own responsibilities to ensure they are properly registered, and who knows what else.

If the state goes completely to VBM, then it would save a great deal of time and money in the polling process. The fewer hands there are on the ballots, the easier it is to secure the integrity of the process.

There has been a nationwide shortage of poll workers for many years.

A Poll-Worker Shortage Plagues Elections, Even After 2000 Drama ...

www.wsj.com/articles/SB1022117688479078120The Wall Street Journal

... and worsening, shortage of the more than 1.2 million poll workers needed at precincts nationwide. The problem is exacerbated by post-2000 election changes ...

Originally Posted by florgal

Some will b***h about not having a stamp . . .

CA. ask voters to put stamps on their ballots but if they are sent with no stamp or insufficient postage the Registrar of Voters Office will pay the postage on all ballots.

Poll workers trained to respond to mass shooting