Misleading, unsigned postcard urges California man to vote for two candidates

Ben Paviour, The Sacramento Bee on May 18, 2026

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SACRAMENTO, Calif — There was a second where Democrat Howard Hersh believed the handwritten, friendly postcard urging him to vote for two Democrats in the June 2 primary for governor when it arrived in his Nevada City mailbox last month.

“Momentarily, anyway, until I realized it was a scam that would invalidate my vote,” Hersh wrote in an email.

California voters may select only one candidate per race. The state’s top two vote-getters in the primary move on the general election. A handful of mostly local races can win outright in the primary.

It’s not clear who was behind the unsigned postcard, which didn’t contain any other election disclosures. Spokespersons for the California Democratic Party and the California Fair Political Practices Commission said they hadn’t received any complaints about similar mailings.

But the postcard Hersh received appears to be part of a misinformation campaign targeting Democrats who might be deceived into voting for two candidates, a move that would spoil their ballot.

“I’ve not seen this particular dirty trick before, but misleading voters in mailers is common,” said UCLA election law professor Richard Hasen.

He pointed to tactics in Virginia’s recent redistricting referendum, where opponents of Democrats’ push to gerrymander published messaging that falsely suggested the state’s Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, was opposed to the effort.

The California postcard appears to prey on fears that Democrats’ splintered gubernatorial field and California’s jungle primary system, where two candidates advance regardless of party, could cause them to be locked out of the general election. Those fears have dimmed in recent weeks, with Republican Steve Hilton consolidating GOP support after winning an endorsement from President Donald Trump.

The postcard address Hersh by name and said, “when you vote for CA governor in June, please vote for two Democrats or we could end up with 2 Republicans (NO DEMS) on the November ballots.”

USPS markings indicate it was mailed from Sacramento.

CADEM Chair Rusty Hicks called the postcard “deeply troubling.”

“Let me be crystal clear: Voters can only vote for one candidate in this race,” Hicks said. “Any mail piece suggesting otherwise is a shameful and illegal attempt to create confusion, void the ballot and suppress the vote.”

California Republican Party spokesperson Matt Shupe said he’d never seen or heard of the mailer until a reporter sent it to him.

Hasen said the postcard could violate California elections law if it were paid for by a political committee or a candidate.

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