During his daily coronavirus, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he had signed an executive order allowing for every registered voter in California to receive a mail-in ballot.
Newsom added that mail-in would not replace physical voting locations. A committee is currently working on plans to open polling places that will save for voters.
Alex Padilla, the California Secretary of State, who spoke via phone during the briefing, added that California was the first state in the nation to take this step to provide all registered voters with mail-in ballots. He added that the mail-in ballots would include pre-paid envelopes.
Padilla added that residents can visit California Online Voter Registration website to register to vote or update their information.
During the Q&A period, Newsom did say that the state would have to tap into the "rainy day fund" to deal with the budget shortfall caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He also said that he feels that the unemployment rate in the state of California is probably "north of 20-percent" taking into account previous unemployment rate prior to the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
When asked about the federal stimulus for states, Newsom said the state can't do "justice" to the 40 million Americans in California without the federal government's help. Unlike the states, which are hampered by constitutional restrictions that require balanced budgets, the federal government has the ability to borrow money in order to help states deal with the pandemic.
He also feels that Phase Three may be only weeks away as the state moves through Phase Two "together."
