By VALERIE MORISHIGE and NINA NAKAO
Nikkei Progressives
California vote-by-mail ballots are in the mail and on the way for the primary election on June 2, but do you know the threats to democracy, not just on the ballot, but to the ballot itself?
The USPS postmarking practices may disenfranchise voters (very high likelihood). A recent rule change clarified that mail received by a letter carrier or post office (except postmarked at the post office retail counter) on Election Day may not necessarily be postmarked on that day.
California historically has honored a seven-day grace period; counting ballots postmarked by Election Day. Reversing this standard would have a devastating effect on the millions who vote by mail. To make sure your vote is counted, drop your ballot off at a vote center or ballot drop box on or before Election Day. Get trusted information at lavote.gov.
SCOTUS will invalidate ballots (high likelihood). In a recent Supreme Court case, a majority of the justices seemed to agree that ballots should not be counted if they are postmarked on Election Day but received afterwards. This may cause chaos in vote-counting; and there’s cause for concern that their decision could be retroactively applied; giving yet another reason to drop off your ballot at a vote center or official drop box.
ICE will show up at vote centers (moderate likelihood). Many Californians vote by mail; yet in-person voting is essential to provide accessibility, such as multilingual assistance, audio, visual, and physical assistive technology. Even the rumor of ICE at vote centers will harm our most vulnerable voters.
Actions you can take: join a Rapid Response Network in your community to monitor vote centers, sign up to become an election protection volunteer, or become an election worker! While elections officials are deploying extra resources to counter this threat, there’s no way they can cover everything. The community needs to step up and pitch in.
“Authorities” will seize ballots from where they are being counted (lower likelihood). The Riverside sheriff (and current gubernatorial candidate) seized ballots from the Prop 50 special election last fall over alleged voter fraud. In 2020, the FBI seized ballots from Georgia’s Fulton County. Both seizures are being contested in court, but are these legit “authorities” or rogue agents?
We must be ready to call our reps, protest in the streets, and make it crystal clear that we will not tolerate these anti-democratic shenanigans.
While we were saved from the disaster of the SAVE America Act passing the Senate (which would have required documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections), there’s still a chance that the courts will side with Trump’s unhinged March 31 executive order to create an nationwide “approved” voter list. There’s also the fear that the president will call off the midterm elections in an attempt to cling to power.
Collectively, we can protect our elections by staying informed and taking action as needed.
As individuals we must:
- Vote early and use official ballot drop boxes or vote centers and encourage our loved ones to do the same;
- Be an election protection volunteer or an election worker; and
- Contact all of our elected representatives to advocate for free, fair and secure elections.
Certain races on our ballot also matter for safeguarding elections: the secretary of state, who oversees elections; the attorney general, who will be our legal watchdog against federal attacks on our right to vote; and our governor, who will set the tone for how we fight back against the Trump Administration’s attempt to disenfranchise voters.
California overwhelmingly passed Prop 50 and showed that we’re not backing down and stand determined to fight for an inclusive democracy. Let’s keep up the good fight.
Opinions expressed in Vox Populi are not necessarily those of The Rafu Shimpo.