California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on Sept. 27 making vote-by-mail elections permanent for all registered voters in the state, along with nine other election-related bills. “Last year we took unprecedented steps to ensure all voters had the opportunity to cast a ballot during the pandemic and today we are making those measures permanent after record-breaking participation in the 2020 presidential election,” he said in a media release. “As states across our country continue to enact undemocratic voter suppression laws, California is increasing voter access, expanding voting options and bolstering elections integrity and transparency,” Newsom said. While Newsom and other supporters claim vote-by-mail ballots strengthen election integrity, critics disagree. Ruth Weiss, director of legislative oversight at watchdog group Election Integrity Project, California (EIPCa), told The Epoch Times that the legislation, Assembly Bill 37, is “reckless” and will only weaken election integrity. The nonprofit group has long opposed wholesale vote-by-mail elections, ballot harvesting, …