Printing Your Own Ballot? It’s Real and It’s Been Implemented by the California Secretary of State

California appears to have devised a “print your own ballot” system called Remote Accessible Vote-By-Mail (RAVBM).

A page on the California Secretary of State website describes RAVBM as a system that “allows voters to mark their selections using their own compatible technology to vote independently and privately in the comfort of their own home.”

The story was reported Sunday morning by California Globe and Gateway Pundit. According to the Globe, the RAVBM page is not publicly listed under the “Elections” tab. It is only accessible via the sitemap.

The SOS website says that voters who wish to vote from home must request RAVBM by phone, mail, email, or an in-person visit to their county elections office. Upon approval, RAVBM voters will be instructed to download an application, make their selections, and print and return their ballots by mail or in person.

Linked on the RAVBM page is a brief document of frequently asked questions. The document claims that RAVBM is primarily intended for voters with disabilities who “often rely on others to assist them in reading and marking their ballot to cast their vote.” But people are raising questions nevertheless.

“Can you print out more than one ballot? How are these verified and by whom? Why can’t these ballots be dropped off? Why must they be mailed?” asks Katy Grimes of California Globe. “What could possibly go wrong? Did California invent an audit-proof way to steal elections?”

The system is particularly relevant in light of an important election on the horizon. California governor Gavin Newsom is facing recall on September 14. Many Californians believe he has put illegal aliens ahead of citizens, failed to enforce immigration laws, sought to increase already-high taxes, and overseen a decline in living standards and an increase in homelessness, among other issues. The recall petition was begun in February 2020, one month before the recorded emergence of COVID-19 in the Golden State.

And Newsom’s governorship could very well be in danger. A recent poll conducted by Survey USA and the San Diego Union Tribune shows him losing the vote by double digits. 51 percent were in favor of recalling him, while only 40 percent were supportive of him retaining power. But with the emergence of voting by mail and printing your own ballot, it’s anyone’s guess as to how the vote will shake out.

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