IMPROVING CALIFORNIA’S VOTING SYSTEM
Nothing is more sacred in our American system of government than the right to vote. Generations of Americans have made great sacrifices to protect and expand the right to vote. Today, our republic is under threat because the public is losing faith in our voting system. The lack of sufficient safeguards to mail voting, poorly maintained voter rolls, and delayed election result reporting are prime culprits. To restore trust I have introduced legislation, Assembly Bill 13, to restore our voting system to pre-pandemic procedures and increase accessibility to voting by making Election Day a holiday.
Many tend to think that their vote in a sea of millions does not make a difference, but not voting means giving up your voice. Your vote ensures that government continues to derive its just authority through your consent, and allows you to have a say in making key decisions on the quality of life for yourself, your family, and your community. Unfortunately, many individuals are discouraged by recent modifications to our election system undermining confidence in the system itself.
Our state has made great progress in making it easier for everyone to vote – automatic voter registration, same-day voter registration, and increasing access to vote-by-mail are all great strides that have helped our elections to be more inclusive and representative. However, just as important is ensuring that we have safe, secure, and accurate elections. Elections are often how we resolve our greatest political disagreements and it’s critical that the outcome of those decisions be accurate and accepted by the public.
Recent changes like legalizing Ballot Harvesting have eroded trust in the system and allows any person to collect an unlimited number of ballots from anyone – no questions asked. There is no chain of custody of who handled the ballot. This makes it impossible to know whether the voter actually completed the ballot themselves, whether the ballot was tampered with after collection, or whether a voter was coerced into surrendering the ballot over to a harvester. Harvesters are often paid political operatives working for a campaign or group with a vested interest in the outcome of the election. In my profession we call this a “conflict of interest.”
Recently, a Lodi City Councilmember was arrested on suspicious of election fraud and resigned his seat on the city council. We know election fraud is real, even those elected and expected to uphold the public trust can be guilty of this criminal activity, and my bill will help put a stop to this potential fraud.
The shift to mail voting has also resulted is massive delays in obtaining election results. This extended delay breeds distrust and skepticism in the tabulation process. Just this year, Californians across the state waited weeks without knowing who their elected representative in several districts and it was especially offensive that two members of the Legislature could not be seated on swearing-in day because those races still had not been called, denying the People of those districts a voice in their elected government.
My bill, AB 13, will reform vote by mail, ensuring only those who request an absentee ballot in the mail receive one. It will return us to a system of in-person voting on Election Day as we have always done. To ensure that every Californian has the opportunity to vote, my bill would make Election Day a holiday. It will also ban the practice of ballot harvesting, which is currently illegal in most other states. These reforms will strengthen the integrity of our elections while ensuring the will of the voters is timely and accurately represented. It is only through a health electrical system can the People hold government accountable and exercise their authority to decide who will continue to lead our Great State.
Assemblyman Bill Essayli represents the 63rd Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the whole cities of Norco, Menifee, Lake Elsinore, and Canyon Lake, as well as portions of the cities of Eastvale, Riverside, and Corona.
