Senator Tom Umberg (Photo: Kevin Sanders for California Globe)
Gov. Newsom Signs Bill Ordering All 2021 Elections by Mail – Including Recall
SB 29 covering all elections in 2021, was voted along party lines
By Evan Symon, February 22, 2021 8:24 pm
Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 29 into law over the weekend, formally extending the state requirement for counties to send absentee ballots to all voters until January 2022 – including his own potential recall election.
SB 29, authored by Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), acts as an extension to AB 860, a bill that required all counties to mail out absentee ballots to all registered voters due to COVID-19 concerns in the months before the November 2020 election. AB 860 was only set to last until November 2020 due to no more major federal or state elections until 2022. However, due to COVID-19 still being a major hindrance on in-person voting and a 2021 recall election of Governor Gavin Newsom becoming more and more likely, SB 29 was written to extend county-sent ballots for all registered voters by mail this year.
The voting over SB 29 was largely split along party lines in the Assembly and Senate, with all Republicans either voting against the bill or not voting and most Democrats voting in favor. Many who voted against the bill or abstained from voting fear that ballot harvesting similar to the 2018 ballot harvesting incidents could make a return and sway the votes in favor of keeping Newsom in office, or if he should be voted out, have another candidate similar to Newsom take his place.
“A lot of lawmakers in Sacramento don’t want that,” said “Dana,” a state capitol staffer, to the Globe. “This isn’t about sides or parties or anything like that. After all the anger and accusations and recounts that the 2020 election brought, both for the Presidency and for more state and local-based races, most people just want a straight tally with no voter harvesting drama. A recall is dramatic enough to most people as is.”
Recall supporters see positives in passage of SB 29
However, many recall supporters have said that that the passage of SB 29 may actually increase the odds that Newsom is recalled. With many polls showing Governor Newsom’s popularity now dipping below 50% and the recall signature campaign breaking collection records each passing week, supporters say that it may allow more people to vote him out who otherwise wouldn’t have voted.
“He and his cronies at the state capitol are trying to change the rules in the middle of the game,” explained Senior Advisor and Official Spokesman of the California Patriot Coalition – Recall Gavin Newsom 2020 Committee Randy Economy. “You have a very angry electorate out there right now, and if everybody has access to a ballot during a recall election he may have just sealed his own fate.”
Election experts have taken a different view, pointing out that many Californians are already voting by mail anyway, and that there is still a long way to go until the recall election.
“The vast majority of Californians voted by mail in 2020. Nearly 90%,” said Charles Hobbs, a Southern Californian election analyst, told the Globe in an interview. “And both parties saw major wins. Democrats got a few more seats in the state legislature, while the GOP began taking back seats in the House. So it really can go either way.”
“The real concern, for both sides that is, is what Newsom does between now and the recall date, and who else decides to go in the race.”
“If Newsom can somehow steer the state out of the pandemic quickly and really improve things here, you’ll see his support go up and likely squash the recall. But if he keeps getting into controversies, then all of that is thrown up in the air. He isn’t where Gray Davis was in 2003 in terms of support, as Davis was very much disliked 18 years ago at this time. But Newsom is inching closer with each bad call.”
“And the candidates going in can be a huge change. Arnold Schwarzenegger made a huge splash in 2003, getting critical bipartisan support and sinking any remaining chance Gray Davis had at beating the recall. Schwarzenegger also probably cost either [Congressman Tom] McClintock or [Then Lt. Governor Cruz] Bustamante the seat. We don’t know yet in 2021. Major people, politicians and actors alike, have had to deny that they’re running this year already. So any momentum from a yet-unknown person can wreck Newsom’s chances too.”
“One thing is for certain though. We’re going to see a record number of people vote for Governor this year. That’s exciting. But for Newsom, with declining popularity and a resurging GOP in California, it’s becoming more and more terrifying.”
SB 29 was made law as soon as it was signed by Governor Newsom this weekend, ensuring that ballots will be sent to every registered voter in California this year.
- San Diego County Board Of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas To Leave Office Next Month Despite Winning Reelection - December 21, 2024
- Dozens Of Oakland Lawmakers, Business Leaders Urge Rep. Barbara Lee To Run For Mayor In Upcoming Special Election - December 21, 2024
- Backlash Continues Against The Oakland City Council For Approving $100 Million In Budget Cuts - December 20, 2024
RELATED ARTICLES
-
February 18, 2021 -
February 9, 2021 -
February 18, 2021
Well of course he did!
That is how the left plays the game now!
We can stand in lines, touch items in stores but not vote in person?
It stinks. I smell a new lawsuit in the works.
“Schwarzenegger also probably cost either [Congressman Tom] McClintock … the seat. We don’t know yet in 2021. Major people, politicians and actors alike, have had to deny that they’re running this year already. So any momentum from a yet-unknown person can wreck Newsom’s chances too.”
Let’s hope that McClintock throws his hat in the ring and gives California the opportunity to repair the terrible mistake we made in 2003.
His time is now…
Congressman Tom McClintock? Ugh. He voted to certify the fraudulent presidential election and he trashed Trump. He’s just another legacy RINO who needs to retire?
You are absolutely right. Tom is an impressive public speaker but his heart beats from the depths of the establishment.
Yep, the heck with McClintock. He’s another rino. I wont vote for him.
I think you’re missing the point. He’s going to do the same thing that they did to Trump. Gavin will win because the Democrats control the voting counts.
Democrats want Newsom gone too. And No Party Preference. And probably the Greens.
Teachers’ unions aren’t thrilled either. They could go against him. He needs them. They elected him.
Two things are universally true, if a Democrat’s lips are moving…it’s a lie. If the left didn’t cheat…they’d never win. This disaster of a Governor is no different. Will love seeing this POS booted out of office and, possibly, stemming the downfall of my home state.
This is proven in 2020 election is how they cheat on the left. I want my vote to count this time.
If ballot harvesting is still on the table then the California Democrats and the DNC will call up the legions of union loyalists and this entire recall event will be but a blip in the history of California. Sorry to throw wet blankets, but sometimes reality is brutal.
You’re probably right. The rotten dems will steal this one too. They stole the national election, they won’t stop now.
Comrades
One person denies the peasants voice…reliable, instantly verified voting by objective citizens….welcome to Bolivia
Are the ballots if the dead and moved away going to just be delivered to the ballot harvesters this time?
SB 29 = Fixed Election…there will be a record election turnout (due to ballot harvesting). I see two outcomes…Plan A: Newsom will be recalled as he is damaged goods and just plain repulsive/incompetent. Newsom will be replaced with a far worse democrat. Plan B: Newsom survives the recall. California democrats are corrupt and SB 29 will ensure the corruption will remain unchecked.
Newsom’s people will have control of all the ballots and ballot drop-off-boxes to manipulate them and steal the election. It’s probably how he got voted Gov to begin with. Remember too, it’s said watch out for whoever counts the votes.
Anyway, I don’t trust him, his close ties with China and Gov Brown, Pelosi, his catering and caring more about illegal immigrants and not US citizens or his motives.
Isn’t it up to the legislature to change election laws? What does the constitution say?
Newsom used executive orders under “emergency powers” (because of COVID, sure) to circumvent the legislature. So you’re right—- and that’s why Asms Kiley and Gallagher sued him to challenge it. They WON their case, which meant the gov didn’t have the right to issue such exec orders, the main one being the mail-in ballot nonsense ordered without approval of the legislature. But Newsom appealed and now we await the Court of Appeals ruling.
Let me guess–after requiring signature verification for the recall petition, they won’t require it for the mail-in ballot election, right?
I agree with Pete; ” Gavin will win because the Democrats control the voting counts.” Go to California Secretary Of State’s web site, home page. Click on; “the blue box labeled “Elections”. Scroll down to: “How Do I Learn More About”. Click on; “Elections”. Click on; “Frequently Asked Questions”. In the “Elections Division Box” click on; “Voting Technology”. Click on “Voting Technology Vendors”. click on “Dominion Voting Systems”. The link “Dominion ImageCast 5.2 Remote Accessible Vote By Mail System Reports”. “California Use Procedures” PDF. “Introduction”. “System Description and Components” Is the link I started on. I heard someone say in an interview, I think it was Russ Ramsland that the election process has become so complex the Secretaries of States have no idea of the complexities or the systems. Just read the Introduction and tell me if our elections are fair. One would have to be a rocket scientist to interpret all of this. The “Glitch” in the 2020 election in one of the swing states was explained away by a last minute software update in one of the precincts? Come On Man! Anyone that thinks this tech isn’t being exploited is naive or ignorant.
Mail your ballot early. Do not use dropboxes unless right in front of the elections office, which may be best. Drop boxes are one more opportunity for something nefarious to happen to ballots.
GOP should set up a web-site to track addresses that voted for recall gruesome. Only yes to recall to be counted to compare with gruesome’s tally. Make it public and only recall votes, this will avoid the possiblility of pro gruesome’s voters to disrupt the accuracy of the vote. By rgistering the address you can compare the recall votes to the number of ballots sent to this address to ensure you do not have excess recall votes. Make it available by internet and by smart phone. Defeat them with their own technology.