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Glossary

Absentee ballot

The older name for a ballot voted somewhere other than a polling place — usually at home — and returned by mail or in person. California law now says 'vote-by-mail ballot.'

Where this term appears

  • In 1976, California removed the rule that a voter had to deliver their own absentee…Claim
  • The state's top lawyer confirmed in 1993: who has applied for an absentee ballot is public…Claim
  • Absentee applications are public records — campaigns may lookTimeline step
  • AG Opinion 93-702 (1993) — Absentee applications are public recordsLaw
  • Prosecuted election-fraud cases in California are rare in absolute terms — a few dozen…Claim
  • Beatie v. Davila (1982) — Third-party mailing upheld; abuse risk namedLaw
  • Gooch v. Hendrix (1993) — School-board elections annulled under the mandatory ruleLaw
  • The personal-delivery rule quietly disappearsTimeline step
  • How close may campaigns get to absentee ballots? The question is askedTimeline step

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