California's Mail-In Ballot Policy Enables Fraud by Accepting Unverifiable Ballots
Source: Brianna Lyman. "CA's Mail-In Ballot Policy Is An Invitation To Fraud." June 9, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that California's rule allowing mail-in ballots without postmarks to be counted is dangerous because it lets people potentially vote after Election Day and just write an earlier date on the envelope. This makes elections less secure because there's no way to verify when the ballot was actually sent.
Conclusion
California's mail-in ballot policy that accepts late ballots without postmarks is an invitation to fraud and undermines election integrity
Premises
- California law allows mail-in ballots to be counted up to seven days after Election Day even if they have no postmark or illegible postmark
- When there is no verifiable postmark, the system relies solely on the voter's handwritten date on the envelope
- This creates an opportunity for voters to cast ballots after Election Day but claim they were submitted on time
- The recent LA mayoral race saw a significant shift in results due to late-arriving mail-in ballots, with Spencer Pratt's lead being erased by Nithya Raman
- Election integrity requires objective third-party verification methods, which this system lacks
- There is no credible security mechanism to prevent post-election ballot submission under this policy
Assumptions
- Election integrity requires verifiable timestamps on ballots
- Voters might exploit loopholes in the system if given the opportunity
- Self-reporting by voters is insufficient for secure elections
- The timing of ballot submission is crucial for legitimate election outcomes
- Late-arriving ballots that change election results are inherently suspicious