California assembly passing mail-in measure ends GOP suit against Gov Newsom's executive order

Washington Republicans are declaring victory in their legal effort to stop California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order on mail-in balloting in November. 

Newsom signed the order in May that would effectively send a ballot to anybody on state voter rolls, which resulted in the suit by the Republican National Committee arguing the governor had exceeded his official authority.

The California General Assembly weeks later passed a similar measure by vote, which purportedly resulted in Newsom saying he wouldn’t follow through on his order.

“The governor sought bail out from the State Assembly knowing he had exceeded his legal authority. The legislature complied and enacted his proposals through legislation,” said the RNC, which on Thursday filed a notice to voluntarily vacate the suit. 

The group was joined in the effort by the National Republican Congressional Committee and the California Republican Party.

“This lawsuit challenged Governor Newsom’s unlawful Executive Order mandating an all vote-by-mail general election which he had no authority to do under state law and the U.S. Constitution, and included the mass mailing of ballots to all inactive voters,” the groups said in a press release. 

They argued in particular that Newsom’s order, signed amid the coronavirus pandemic limiting in-person balloting, would “clearly mandated” the mailing of ballots to inactive voters including those who no longer live where they are registered or who are deceased.   

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said: “Democrat Governors should be wary of trying to unilaterally change election laws to fit their partisan agenda. The COVID-19 pandemic gives Governors no excuse to overstep their authority under state and federal law to enact reckless voting policies such as mailing ballots to inactive voters and diminishing election safeguards.”