KPBS Midday Edition

Three Republican Groups Sue Over Newsom's Vote By Mail Plan

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Brooke Ruth / Senior Producer, Radio News

Published May 26, 2020 at 12:01 PM PDT

This story was published more than 3 years ago.

A mail-in ballot, envelope and the "I voted" sticker are displayed in front of the San Diego County Registrar of Voters office in Kearny Mesa, Feb. 3, 2020.

The lawsuits take issue with Newsom’s authority to mandate voting by mail and claim the order violates state law and the U.S. Constitution

The lawsuits take issue with Newsom’s authority to mandate voting by mail and claim the order violates state law and the U.S. Constitution.

Three Republican groups filed a lawsuit on Sunday over Governor Gavin Newsom's executive order requiring counties in California to send vote-by-mail ballots to all registered voters for this November’s election.

Newsom said the order was to protect the public from potential COVID-19 health risks involved in voting at a polling place.

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The conservative legal group Judicial Watch, with San Diego’s 50th District Republican candidate Darrell Issa as one of the plaintiffs, also sued over the order.

The lawsuits take issue with Newsom’s authority to mandate voting by mail and claim the order violates state law and the U.S. Constitution.

Thad Kousser, chair of the political science department at UC San Diego, joins Midday Edition on Tuesday to discuss the governor's plan and the reasons why groups are suing over it.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Brooke Ruth

Brooke Ruth is the senior producer for KPBS Radio News. She previously served as a producer for "KPBS Midday Edition" and a web producer. Before joining KPBS, Brooke was a web editor for four newspapers and a local television station. She began her career in news at the Imperial Valley Press. She has also been part of the web teams at the Napa Valley Register, North County Times, and U-T San Diego. While pursuing her undergraduate degree at UCLA in psychology, she worked on the student newspaper, the Daily Bruin.

See stories by Brooke Ruth