New California Law Making Mail-In Ballots Permanent Starts Jan. 1

New California Law Making Mail-In Ballots Permanent Starts Jan. 1
Mail-in ballots in their envelopes await processing at the Los Angeles County Registrar Recorders' mail-in ballot processing center at the Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, Calif., on Oct. 28, 2020. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
Vanessa Serna
Updated:
A new California bill will permit registered voters to indefinitely vote by mail in statewide and local elections beginning Jan. 1, 2022. The law will require the state to send ballots to nearly 22 million registered voters in June and November during the election year.  
As the COVID-19 pandemic led to the temporary authorization of mail-in ballots sent to every registered voter, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 37—drafted by Assemblyman Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park)—into law Sept. 27, which permanently codified the interim ruling.