In his first television interview since launching his California gubernatorial campaign on Thursday, Rep. Eric Swalwell told CNN’s Elex Michaelson on Saturday that Californians should be able to vote by phone according to Fox News. He said that if residents can manage tasks such as taxes, healthcare scheduling, and banking online, a secure phone-based voting system should also be possible.
Reacting to Michaelson’s surprise, Swalwell said that similar systems are already operating in parts of the United States. He added that California should not aim to perform only “a little better” than “red states,” saying the goal should be to “max out democracy.” As part of that effort, he proposed penalizing counties if in-person voters wait more than 30 minutes, arguing that counties should be fined “for every minute that a person has to wait longer.”
Swalwell also called for modernizing the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) so residents would no longer need to appear in person for many services.
Several states have tested mobile or online voting in recent years. According to Fox News Digital, West Virginia launched a mobile voting pilot during the 2018 midterm elections that allowed overseas voters to cast ballots by app. Since then, the nonprofit Mobile Voting Project has operated 21 voting pilots across seven states, including Utah, Colorado, South Carolina, and Oregon. These programs have generally been limited to select counties or local elections and typically serve overseas voters.
