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KPBS Midday Edition

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

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.
Andrew Bowen
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.

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.

RELATED: California Governor Issues Guidelines For Churches To Open

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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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