The high court ruled Monday that new U.S. Postal Service regulations aimed at restricting mail ballots cannot take effect before the Nov. 3 election. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing in concurrence, stopped short of saying the postal service lacks authority to impose such rules altogether, but he warned that rolling them out now would be “arbitrary and capricious” given how little time states and local election officials would have to adjust.

California was among the states that challenged the postal service rules, building on an earlier legal fight over a Trump executive order targeting mail-in voting. The state relies on a universal vote-by-mail system, automatically sending ballots to every registered voter.

Gov. Gavin Newsom welcomed the ruling as a win for voters heading into the fall election.

“Finally, 50 days out, and the American people have certainty when it comes to our country’s electoral process: Voting is safe, vote-by-mail is accessible to any and all who need it,” Newsom said. “And I encourage every Californian to make their voice heard this November.”

At the heart of the dispute is a Trump administration proposal to build a federal database of registered voters, which the postal service would use to verify eligibility before delivering mail ballots. Under the plan, the agency could have refused to deliver ballots in any state that declined to share its voter information.

California election officials have said the state’s existing ballot procedures already satisfy many of the technical requirements the administration sought, including the use of scannable bar codes on return envelopes. Other states, however, faced the prospect of scrambling to redesign ballots and election procedures on short notice had the rules been allowed to move forward.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the outcome of the case carried enormous weight.

“Had this rule been allowed to take effect, the consequences would have been catastrophic,” Bonta said.

California counties are set to begin mailing ballots to voters no later than the first week of October, giving residents ample time to cast their votes ahead of Election Day.

Original source: CalMatters

The post Supreme Court Rejects Trump Bid to Limit Mail-In Voting Ahead of November Election appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

California remains locked in a legal fight with the Trump administration over the president’s push to impose new restrictions on universal mail-in voting. The dispute has left some voters wondering whether mail ballots will even be an option for the November 3 election, and if so, whether it’s still safe to use one.

The short answer from election officials: yes and yes. Mail voting will remain available this year, and it remains a secure and generally reliable method of casting a ballot. Still, county registrars are encouraging voters not to wait until the deadline to return their ballots, given the uncertainty swirling around the U.S. Postal Service’s role in the process.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether President Trump can direct the Postal Service to restrict mail-in voting ahead of the midterms. Trump has proposed creating a federal database of registered voters that the Postal Service would use to verify that mail ballots are delivered only to eligible U.S. citizens. Under his plan, the Postal Service could refuse to deliver ballots in states that don’t share that voter information.

The legal battle, which has dragged on for months, has left voters — and even some election officials — confused, something voting rights advocates say may be the point.

Despite the uncertainty, California election officials insist the state is prepared to run its elections smoothly no matter how the Supreme Court rules. County registrars are monitoring the litigation closely, but they are also moving forward with plans to mail ballots as usual ahead of the October 5 deadline. State and local officials are encouraging voters worried about postal delays to vote early and take advantage of California’s other options, including official drop boxes and in-person voting centers.

“As we do in every election, we have contingency plans and backup plans in place,” said Tricia Webber, Santa Cruz County’s clerk and registrar of voters and president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials.

Some counties, including Santa Cruz and Los Angeles, are looking into setting up temporary voting centers where residents could request and drop off ballots in person. In Santa Cruz County, Webber said her office is working on plans to send its mobile voting unit around the county to give residents another way to cast a ballot.

“Until there’s an answer,” Webber said, referring to the pending court ruling, “California counties are going to continue to operate business as usual.”

WHAT TRUMP WANTS THE POSTAL SERVICE TO DO

In March, Trump signed an executive order aiming to give the federal government control over who receives mail ballots. Within days, more than 20 Democratic attorneys general, including California’s Rob Bonta, sued the administration, arguing the Constitution gives only Congress and state governments authority over election administration.

Federal district and appellate courts sided with the Democratic-led states, upholding a preliminary injunction that bars the Postal Service from carrying out any part of the plan while the lawsuit continues.

The core legal questions remain unresolved. Last month, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to keep planning how it would carry out the executive order, prompting Democratic-led states to file a new legal challenge against the Postal Service’s implementation plans.

The Postal Service’s proposal, finalized in August, would create a system to track each voter’s ballot using a unique barcode and cross-reference it against a database of eligible registered voters.

While some states worry they may need to reprint ballot envelopes to comply, Webber said the vast majority of California counties already use envelopes that meet the requirements.

The federal government does not currently maintain a comprehensive list of all eligible registered voters and would need states to submit voter information to a federal mail ballot portal that has not yet been built.

It appears unlikely that portal will be ready in time for the 2026 midterms. According to the office of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Postal Service employee who filed a whistleblower complaint said the rollout has been rushed, risky and disorganized because of an unrealistic timeline.

“In an attempt to meet impossible deadlines, the United States Postal Service has eliminated standard and necessary testing, creating a substantial risk of a ‘catastrophic failure’ of the system that could ‘derail the midterm elections,'” Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, wrote in a late-August letter to Postmaster General David Steiner.

In June, the postmaster general told a congressional committee that the Postal Service would withhold mail ballots in states that refuse to share basic voter information, including names, addresses and each ballot’s unique barcode.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, the state’s top elections official, has not said whether California would comply with the proposed voter information requirement.

“California election officials will continue to do everything in their power to ensure that every eligible California voter has the right to cast their ballot by mail and that vote is counted,” her office said.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Weber and five other Democratic secretaries of state for refusing to turn over unredacted voter files containing far more sensitive personal information than what the Postal Service rule requires. A federal judge in Southern California dismissed that case in January.

UNCERTAINTY COULD DRIVE MORE VOTERS TO CAST BALLOTS EARLY

In an unexpected twist, concerns about postal reliability may end up accomplishing something election officials and voting advocates have long struggled to achieve: getting more Californians to vote early.

That marks a shift from the run-up to June’s primary, when nervous Democrats urged voters to hold off casting ballots for governor until the last possible moment. Now, social media feeds are filled with posts urging people to vote early and use official drop boxes rather than rely on the mail.

“This whole thing could backfire,” said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation. “What you’re seeing now on social media, in response to this legal drama and confusion, is a lot of people encouraging their friends to vote early — and that’s exactly the message we’ve been pushing all along.”

Early voting helps county election workers tabulate results faster on election night, allowing news organizations such as the Associated Press to call races sooner. Because mailed ballots take the longest to process, returning them several days ahead of the deadline gives election workers more time to remove ballots from envelopes and prepare them for counting before Election Day itself.

“Fortunately, we give voters a lot of options here, and that’s really going to benefit California,” Alexander said. “Other states don’t have as strong a system offering as many alternatives and pathways for voters to exercise their right to vote.”

Original source: CalMatters

The post Mail-In Voting Rules Uncertain? Here’s How Californians Can Prepare to Vote in November appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The short answer, according to state and county election officials: Yes, voters can still cast ballots by mail, and the process remains safe and dependable. Still, officials are urging Californians not to wait, encouraging early submission ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

At the center of the confusion is a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision that could determine whether President Trump can direct the U.S. Postal Service to restrict mail ballots before the midterms. Trump has proposed creating a federal database of registered voters that the Postal Service would use to verify eligibility before delivering ballots. Under his plan, the agency could refuse to deliver ballots in states that don’t share voter data.

The legal fight has dragged on for months, leaving many voters — and even some election officials — confused about what to expect. Voting rights advocates say that confusion may be intentional.

Despite the uncertainty, California election officials insist the state is ready to run its election smoothly no matter how the courts rule. County registrars are tracking the litigation closely, but they’re also moving ahead with plans to mail ballots by the state’s Oct. 5 deadline. Officials are encouraging residents to prepare early and consider alternatives to the mail, such as ballot drop boxes and in-person voting locations, if they have concerns about postal delivery.

“Like we do for all of our elections, we have contingency plans or disaster plans put into place,” said Tricia Webber, Santa Cruz County’s clerk and registrar of voters, who also leads the California Association of County Election Officials.

Some counties — including Santa Cruz and Los Angeles — are looking into setting up temporary voting stations where residents could request and turn in ballots on the spot. In Santa Cruz County, Webber said officials are also considering deploying their mobile voting unit to give residents another way to cast a ballot.

“Until there’s an answer,” Webber said, referring to the pending Supreme Court decision, “California counties are doing business as usual.”

**What Trump wants USPS to do**

The controversy dates back to March, when Trump signed an executive order attempting to give the federal government oversight of who receives mail ballots. More than 20 Democratic attorneys general, including California’s Rob Bonta, quickly sued, arguing the Constitution grants election authority to states and Congress — not the executive branch.

Lower federal courts sided with the Democratic-led states, issuing a temporary injunction that has so far blocked the Postal Service from acting on the president’s directive. But the broader legal questions remain unsettled. Last month, the Supreme Court allowed the administration to continue developing its implementation plan, prompting Democratic states to file a new round of legal challenges.

The Postal Service’s finalized proposal, released in August, calls for tracking each mailed ballot using a unique barcode that would be checked against a database of eligible voters.

While some states worry they may need to redesign ballot envelopes if the rule survives legal challenges, Webber said most California counties already use compliant envelopes.

A major hurdle remains: the federal government doesn’t currently maintain a complete list of eligible voters and would depend on states voluntarily submitting data to a so-called “federal ballot mail portal” that hasn’t yet been built.

Whether that system could even be operational in time for this year’s midterms is in question. According to Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s office, a Postal Service whistleblower described the rollout as rushed and warned that skipped testing procedures could lead to a “catastrophic failure” capable of disrupting the midterm elections.

“In an effort to meet impossible deadlines, USPS has eliminated standard and needed testing, thereby creating substantial risk of a ‘catastrophic failure’ of the system that could ‘derail the midterm elections,'” Blumenthal wrote in a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner in late August.

Steiner told a congressional committee in June that the Postal Service intends to withhold ballots in states that refuse to share basic voter information — including names, addresses and ballot barcodes.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, the state’s top elections official, has not indicated whether California would comply with such a request.

“California’s elections officials will continue to do everything within our power to ensure that every eligible California voter has the right to cast a mail ballot and have that vote count,” Weber said.

Last year, the U.S. Justice Department sued Weber and five other Democratic secretaries of state after they declined to hand over unredacted voter files — information far more sensitive than what the Postal Service rule would require. A federal judge in Southern California dismissed that lawsuit in January.

**Confusion could push more voters to act early**

In an unexpected twist, anxiety over the Postal Service’s reliability may accomplish something election officials have long hoped for: convincing more Californians to vote earlier rather than waiting until the final days.

That marks a shift from the run-up to June’s primary, when nervous Democratic voters were urged to hold off on choosing a gubernatorial candidate until the last possible moment. Now, social media is filled with posts encouraging people to vote as soon as possible and to rely on drop boxes instead of the mail.

“This whole play may backfire,” said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation. “What you’re seeing now on social media in response to this court drama and this confusion are lots of people urging their friends to vote early — and that’s exactly what we’ve been saying.”

Earlier voting helps county election workers process ballots more quickly on election night, which in turn allows outlets like The Associated Press to call races sooner. Because ballots that arrive by mail take longer to process than those dropped off in person, submitting them several days before the deadline gives election workers a head start on removing ballots from envelopes and preparing them for tabulation.

“Fortunately, we give voters lots of options, and that’s really going to work to California’s benefit,” Alexander said. “Other states do not have the kind of robust process that creates lots of redundancies and avenues for voters to vote.”

Original source: CalMatters

The post Mail-In Voting Rules Still Unclear: How Californians Can Get Ready for November Election appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Adding to the complexity this cycle is confusion swirling around mail-in voting, driven largely by President Donald Trump’s ongoing push to limit the practice — even though he himself has used mail ballots in the past. A sweeping executive order Trump issued in March directed the U.S. Postal Service to adopt new requirements: states would need to hand over lists of eligible mail voters, redesign ballot return envelopes to meet postal specifications, and add new tracking barcodes. Under the order, voters not listed in a new federal database the administration wants to establish — or those in states that refuse to comply — could be cut off from receiving their ballots through the mail.

California didn’t wait around. Joining forces with roughly two dozen other states, it filed suit to block the new rules and preserve its authority over how elections are run within its borders. Last week, a federal district court sided with the states, issuing a preliminary injunction that keeps the rules from taking effect before or during the November election.

That victory proved short-lived in terms of legal peace, however. On Sunday, the Trump administration filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to overturn the injunction — the second such appeal to the high court in less than a week.

Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t hold back in response, posting on social media that the latest appeal amounted to “weakness from a failed president masquerading as strength.”

The back-and-forth in the courts, paired with a troubling whistleblower complaint that has surfaced in recent weeks, has left officials in several states uncertain about how to proceed as mail ballots begin going out. North Carolina, for instance, already mailed its absentee ballots last week despite the unresolved legal fight.

Given all this uncertainty, Southern California voters may want to take extra care reviewing their ballots well ahead of time. CalMatters has published a voter guide with quizzes on the various propositions, including a new one focused on the insurance commissioner’s race, along with candidate interviews and other voting resources for anyone looking to get up to speed before casting a vote.

In other statehouse news, lawmakers have sent Newsom two bills aimed at addressing the lingering effects of smoke damage from major wildfires — an issue that has left many Los Angeles County residents unable to return home more than a year after last year’s deadly fires tore through the region. Homeowners whose houses survived the flames have nonetheless been stuck waiting on insurance companies to complete lead and asbestos testing, along with the removal of toxic residue, before they can safely move back in.

One of the two bills would direct the state to establish first-of-their-kind standards for identifying and remediating smoke damage, including testing protocols for lead and asbestos, with a deadline of the end of 2028. The companion bill would require insurance companies to follow those standards once adopted. The two measures are linked — neither can become law without the other.

Jane Lawton Potelle, who heads the advocacy group Eaton Fire Residents United and backed the legislation, said many insurers count on policyholders not understanding their rights. “I want people to know how to protect themselves and stop being afraid,” she said.

Meanwhile, tension is building between Newsom’s administration and the state’s largest public employee union. SEIU Local 1000 announced Monday it will hold a strike authorization vote as negotiations continue over its next contract with the state. Union president Anica Walls called it a “historic step,” saying a “yes” vote would send state leaders a clear signal that members are prepared to walk off the job if necessary.

At the heart of the dispute are wages and Newsom’s requirement that state employees report to physical offices at least four days a week — a mandate that has frustrated many workers who had grown accustomed to remote work flexibility. A strike authorization vote doesn’t guarantee a walkout will actually happen. Local 1000, which represents about 100,000 state workers, came closest to striking a decade ago in 2016, but reached a last-minute agreement with then-Gov. Jerry Brown before members hit the picket lines.

Elsewhere, a story out of rural Northern California is drawing attention to a long-standing gap in the state’s long-term care system. Only 15 of California’s 58 counties currently allow Medi-Cal to cover assisted living costs — care that helps seniors with everyday tasks like bathing and dressing but doesn’t require full nursing-home-level supervision. Without that coverage, many older adults, especially in rural communities, are forced to choose between expensive nursing homes that do accept Medi-Cal or assisted living facilities located far from their families.

One man in Siskiyou County pushed hard to get his sister into an assisted living facility close to home, and his efforts helped spur the creation of a new pilot program that could offer a model for expanding access elsewhere in the state.

Original source: CalMatters

The post Californians Face Critical Decisions as Election Season Demands Attention appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Wednesday that California, along with a coalition of Democratic-led states, has filed suit in federal court in Massachusetts to block newly finalized U.S. Postal Service rules tied to President Trump’s executive order targeting mail voting. The move fulfills a promise Gov. Gavin Newsom made to renew legal action as soon as the administration issued concrete regulations.

The timing traces back to the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this week, which found that California’s original lawsuit had been filed prematurely — before the administration had actually put formal rules in place. That gap closed late last week when the Postal Service published final regulations requiring states to hand over lists of eligible mail voters, redesign ballot envelopes to meet federal approval, and add new tracking barcodes to ballot mail.

Trump’s executive order goes further, directing the Postal Service to withhold delivery of ballots to any voter not listed in a federal database the administration intends to create, and to cut off ballot delivery entirely in states that refuse to comply with the new requirements.

Bonta argues the Postal Service’s rules trample on constitutional boundaries that leave election administration primarily in the hands of states, not the federal government.

“President Trump doesn’t get to rewrite our voting system on a whim,” Bonta said during a virtual news conference Wednesday. “And the United States Postal Service cannot sidestep the laws that govern the postal service just to carry out the president’s agenda.”

The coalition of states contends that neither the president nor the Postal Service has the legal authority to dictate how elections are run, and warns that the new requirements threaten to disrupt mail voting on a broad scale. In California alone, more than 89% of voters cast ballots by mail during the state’s most recent primary in June, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Trump has long criticized mail-in voting, repeatedly making unsupported claims that it fuels fraud, even though he has used mail ballots himself in past elections. Last year, he said on social media that he wanted to “lead a movement to get rid of mail-in ballots” altogether.

With the case now working its way through the courts, it remains uncertain whether the Postal Service’s new rules will be resolved — or enforced — in time to have any impact on this November’s elections.

Original source: CalMatters

The post California Sues to Halt Trump Administration’s Mail-In Voting Restrictions, Days After Supreme Court Setback appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Repeating his false claim that former President Biden beat him in 2020 because the election was rigged, Trump argued that the November special election about redistricting in California would be rigged, as would the 2026 midterm election to determine control of Congress.

“No mail-in or ‘Early’ Voting, Yes to Voter ID! Watch how totally dishonest the California Prop Vote is! Millions of Ballots being ‘shipped,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “GET SMART REPUBLICANS, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!”

Proposition 50, a ballot measure proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional districts to boost their party’s ranks in the U.S. House of Representatives, is on the Nov. 4 ballot.

The rare mid-decade redistricting effort was in response to Trump urging GOP-led states, initially Texas, to increase the number of Republicans in the House in the 2026 midterm election to allow him to continue implementing his agenda in his final two years in the White House.

Newsom responded to Trump on X: “Ramblings of an old man that knows he’s going to LOSE.”

Trump has not weighed in on the merits of Proposition 50, while prominent Democrats who support it have, including former President Obama.

More than 4 million mail-in ballots — 18% of the ballots sent to California’s 23 million voters — had been returned as of Friday, according to a vote tracker run by Democratic redistricting expert Paul Mitchell, who drew the proposed maps on the ballot. Democrats continue to outpace Republicans in returning ballots, 51% to 28%. Voters registered without a party preference or with other political parties have returned 21% of the ballots.

Early-voting centers also opened in 29 counties on Saturday.

Turnout figures were alarming Republicans leaders before Trump’s message.

“It’s simple. Republicans need to stop complaining and vote. We ask and ask and ask and yet turnout still lags,” the San Diego GOP posted on X. “To win this one GOP turnout needs to be materially better than average. It’s very doable but won’t just happen. Work it.”

Republicans historically voted early while Democrats were more likely to cast ballots on election day. Trump upended this dynamic, creating dissonance with GOP leaders across the nation who recognized the value of banking early votes. And it completely contradicts the messaging by the opponents of Proposition 50.

Jessica Millan Patterson, a former chair of the state GOP and leader of the “No on Prop. 50 — Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab” committee, has been a longtime proponent of urging Republican voters to cast ballots as early and conveniently as possible.

“Sacramento politicians rushed this costly election for partisan gain, and mistakes have been made,” she said Sunday evening. “If Californians want change from our state’s failed one-party rule, it starts by turning out to vote no on Proposition 50.”

The post Trump, contradicting the California GOP, opposes early and mail-in voting in Prop. 50 election appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The law, Assembly Bill 5, requires county election offices to count ballots no later than 13 days after election day, but does not change the 30-day deadline for local officials to certify results. Counties unable to meet the new deadline must give a reason for an extension to the secretary of state’s office.

“California has one of the most accessible and secure voting systems in the country,” said the bill’s author, Assemblymember Marc Berman, a Menlo Park Democrat, in a statement. “One opportunity for improvement was to speed up how quickly we count ballots and create a system that gave greater certainty to the public for when results would be available.”

Voter fraud is rare, typically occurs in isolated instances and is generally detected. However, local election officials have received greater scrutiny across the country after President Donald Trump and his allies disputed false claims of election fraud after the 2020 election. 

Local officials in California have since launched social media campaigns to explain and show voters how their ballots are processed. 

Lawmakers suggest the new law, which received bipartisan support in the state Legislature, will help clamp down on misinformation as some Republicans have grown increasingly distrustful of mail ballots. It takes effect on Jan. 1, 2026, so will not apply to November’s vote on Proposition 50.

Proponents such as the nonprofit California Voter Foundation have said it will increase the public’s trust in elections and avoid officials being sworn in before their races have been certified, which was the case for a number of state lawmakers last year.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber’s office opposed the bill. 

Timothy Cromartie, a spokesperson for Weber, said at a Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee earlier this year that there was a concern that 13 days would not be enough time for counties, which currently have 30 days to complete the count. The secretary of state’s office proposed a deadline of 15 days instead, but that was not adopted.

“As always, we will do our best to uphold the laws as passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor,” Weber said in a written statement.

More mail-in ballots slow down counting

It is increasingly common for counties to take weeks to count ballots due to the growing popularity of mail-in ballots, particularly after the coronavirus pandemic. More than 80% of California voters voted by mail in the 2024 November election, according to the secretary of state’s office. That trend has accelerated since a 2021 law required each registered voter to receive a mail ballot. 

Mail ballots take longer for officials to process than votes at a polling place because of the required steps for officials to verify signatures and confirm that voters have not already cast a ballot somewhere else. The state also allows ballots postmarked by election day to be counted even if they arrive up to a week later. Those ballots will not be subject to the 13-day deadline, nor will provisional ballots or ballots missing voter signatures.

It is not possible to know how long it took counties to count all their ballots in the last election because of a state law that prohibited them from certifying results any earlier than 28 days after election day, Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, said in an email.

“Historically, some counties count faster than others. This has to do with a number of factors – space, equipment, staffing,” Alexander said. 

Some California counties, such as Los Angeles, can take close to a month to count election results, as was the case last year in the 22nd Congressional District in Southern California, which was eventually won by Democratic Rep. Derek Tran. Experts largely attribute California’s size and widespread use of mail-in ballots as the reason for this.

Los Angeles County officials say the new law will change little about how they process ballots.

“We’ve always processed ballots much earlier than the date signed into the law. We’re not particularly concerned with that 13-day requirement,” said Mike Sanchez, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Clerk. “It may seem more ceremonial than anything else.”

Election workers have said that public messaging urging voters to drop or mail off their ballots sooner could speed up the process.

Newsom also signed a bill that bans voters from being paid to register to vote in response to the millions of dollars that billionaire Elon Musk gave away to registered voters in swing states during the 2024 election. Another piece of legislation he signed would schedule a ballot measure for the 2026 election to allow voters to decide if taxpayer funds can be used for political campaigns.

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