California’s shift to vote-by-mail boosted turnout, but not for everyone

Vote-by-mail elections tend to increase turnout in California — but not for everyone, according to a new study by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Young voters, Latinos and Asian Americans may require special outreach to ensure they have a chance to cast ballots, the study says.

The study looked at how a 2016 law allowing counties to hold all-mail elections and consolidate in-person voting locations affected turnout in 2018 and 2020.

On average, the 15 counties that implemented the Voter’s Choice Act saw a voter turnout increase by 4 percentage points among in-person voters and 1 percentage point among mail-in voters during both primary elections. The study found voter turnout is higher in counties that have implemented the law, particularly among registered voters who prefer voting in person.

But, the study showed, Latinos, Asian Americans, foreign-language registrants, renters, new voters and younger voters did not have higher voter turnouts in the counties.

Latinos and Asian Americans who voted by mail saw their turnout decline in 2018, but increase in 2020, according to the study.

“If we’re going to be targeting outreach and deciding ... where the resources should go. That might be a group that we will be concerned about and want to reach out to,” said Eric McGhee, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California.

U.S. Latinos tend to be younger in age compared to other demographics.. About 6-in-10 Latinos are 35 years old or younger, according to a 2016 Pew Research Center study. Latinos are also less likely to be habitual voters and more likely to be non-English speakers, according researchers.

McGhee noted mail-in voting is a popular option among senior voters, while in-person voting was high among young voters and non-English speaking voters.

Some of the counties that have implemented the Voter’s Choice Act include, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Orange and Fresno counties.

Researchers urged elections officials and advocacy organizations to target outreach efforts at groups that have lower voter turnouts and groups that vote by mail at lower rates.

“Research suggests that trusted messengers, with credibility among a given population, are an effective means of this outreach,” according to the study.

Mayra Macías, executive director of Latino Victory, a progressive political action committee that aims to elect Latino candidates into office, said it’s essential to educate Latino voters about the vote-by-mail process.

“One of the things that we’re really advocating for and that we’re working on is making sure that Latino voters have the information to be able to sign up to vote by mail,” Macías said. “I think already you have a process that is very foreign to many of us, unless you come from a state that ... has had a long history of voting by mail.”

This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 9:00 PM.