State Action is Needed to Safeguard California Voting Rights

This op-ed was first published by the Sacramento Bee on April 15, 2026.

This important op-ed by Democracy Programs Director Raúl Macías highlights the urgent need for voter education in a time where efforts to restrict vote-by-mail can spread misinformation and distrust.

At the end of March, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a case that could have a huge impact on voting this November: At the center of Watson v. Republican National Committee is whether ballots mailed by Election Day still count if they arrive a few days later. The case began in Mississippi, but its impact could reach far beyond — potentially changing voting rules in 29 states, including California. 

In the 2024 general election, there were 373,000 ballots in California that were postmarked by Election Day that arrived during the seven-day grace period allowed under state law; that’s more than 2% of mail ballots in the election. The November special election again flashed warning signs that delays caused by changes to slower mail processing may be contributing to more ballots getting disqualified. The percentage of ballots rejected for being late quadrupled from the 2024 general election, disqualifying more than 72,000 votes.

Read the full article for the effective ways we can motivate and empower voters in the link below.