Claim: Trump claims that California is engaging in ballot fraud by sending all California residents a mail-in ballot, regardless of US citizenship.
Rating: This claim is FALSE. Only U.S. citizens who are registered voters will receive mail-in ballots in California.
On May 26, 2020, President Trump falsely tweeted: “There is NO WAY(ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent…The Governor of California is sending Ballots to millions of people, anyone living in the state, no matter who they are or how they got there, will get one.”
After studying this tweet, we determined that it was false because of contradictory evidence. All states, including California, must comply with current federal laws, which only allow U.S. citizens to vote in federal elections. You are not allowed to register to vote unless you are a U.S citizen. Because the president specifically called out California, we must point out that in California, only residents of the state who are also U.S. citizens can vote, as outlined on the state’s official website. California will only send mail-in ballots to active registered voters per executive order N-64-20 by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Conclusion: Trump’s tweet about voter fraud in California is false. As he has done many times before, Trump is attempting to cast doubt on the validity of mail-in ballots and the process of getting the ballots out to voters, specifically in the state of California. Regardless of which state you are in, mail-in voting is safe. You should request a mail-in ballot if you have not already requested to vote by mail and if your state is not automatically sending you one. Be sure to vote and send your ballot in as soon as you can to ensure that your ballot gets counted. Click here to find voter information for your state.