Newsom signs universal mail-in ballots into law in California

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed into law a bill that makes vote-by-mail permanent in the nation’s largest state, just a few weeks after winning a recall election in which pre-paid mailed ballots played an important role.

California “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 signing the measure.

In a separate tweet, Newsom wrote he signed the law “because we believe in making voting EASIER and for every voice to be heard.”

The law mandates state election officials send ballots with prepaid return envelopes to all voters in statewide elections and local contests, whether they requested them or not.