Staff Reports
Attorney General Rob Bonta stood in Sacramento this week and told Californians to relax: mail‑in voting is “safe” and “secure” as counties begin mailing ballots for November. His remarks followed recent court rulings that blocked a Postal Service rule the Biden administration had proposed, and he warned against any federal move to station armed agents at polling places. That was the news — and the chorus of critics was ready with a different tune.
Bonta’s pitch: confidence after court wins
Bonta used the press conference to point to legal victories his office helped win. He reminded voters that federal courts — and ultimately the Supreme Court posture in recent rulings — left in place injunctions preventing a new USPS rule from affecting this election. His simple message: counties are mailing ballots, the system is working, and voters should use vote‑by‑mail without fear. He also blasted federal attempts to meddle, saying armed federal agents at polling sites would be illegal and dangerous, and urged people to participate in democracy rather than sit out because of fear.
Critics beg to differ — and cite EAC numbers
Not everyone bought Bonta’s reassurance. Critics like Hans von Spakovsky pointed to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s 2024 data and argued mail‑ballot handling shows real problems. As they read the data, states mailed tens of millions of ballots and only about 72% were returned; critics also point to hundreds of thousands of returned ballots that were rejected for reasons such as missed deadlines or missing signatures. That snapshot is a reminder that mail ballots can be mishandled, misdelivered, or simply not completed — problems that do not affect voters who cast ballots in person.
Common‑sense fixes, not political slogans
If the goal is a trusted election system, platitudes won’t cut it. Conservatives should push for clear steps that improve security and confidence: cleaner voter rolls, real ID checks where legally allowed, better tracking for mailed ballots, faster county reporting on rejections and cures, and robust post‑election audits. Courts blocking a last‑minute federal rule was the right call to prevent chaos at the mailbox, but it does not magically fix every county procedure or guarantee every ballot will be counted correctly.
So here’s the bottom line for voters who want to be practical: verify your registration, request and return your ballot early, use official drop boxes when you can, and pay attention to county election reports. And for officials who love press conferences — fewer slogans about “safe and secure,” more measurable improvements on the ground. Democracy needs confidence, not talking points; if leaders want trust, they’ll have to earn it.
