California Gov. Gavin Newsom politely but firmly pushed back against a tweet from President Trump on Tuesday assailing the state for providing universal opt-in absentee ballot voting in the upcoming election.
Trump said the move would result in a "rigged election."
"There's no evidence of that, respectfully — quite the contrary," said Newsom in response to a reporter's question. "I don't think it's political in any way, shape or form. I don't say that as a Democratic governor of a large blue state, I say it as an American citizen."
California has offered mail-in voting for decades. Newsom pointed out that Utah, "hardly a bastion of progressive politics," has done all mail-in elections for years.
Newsom also pushed back against the perception that voter fraud is a significant problem anywhere in the U.S., citing three separate reviews of the matter — from Loyola Law School, the Washington Post and the Department of Justice under President George W. Bush — which found scant evidence of widespread fraud, or none at all.
"We're just focusing on public health," Newsom added.
— Julia Scott (@juliascribe)