GOP groups sue California Gov. Newsom over vote-by-mail order for November 2020 election

State and national Republican groups are suing over Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order to send mail-in ballots to every voter in California for the November 2020 election.

The chair of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, announced the lawsuit on Sunday through Twitter.

"His radical plan is a recipe for disaster that would create more opportunities for fraud & destroy the confidence Californians deserve to have in their elections," McDaniel's tweet read.

Organizations backing the suit include the Republican National Committee, the California Republican Party and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Earlier this month, Newsom signed an executive order to send every registered voter in California a mail-in ballot for the November presidential election. The order was an attempt to provide for social distancing and help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In-person voting at polling places will continue to be available for the November election, but sending out the mail-in ballots was a way to encourage people to stay home while still exercising their rights.

A spokesperson for Newsom issued a statement from his office in response to the GOP lawsuit: "California will continue to defend Californians' right to vote, including their right to vote by mail, and the right to hold an election that is safe, secure, and accessible. Voters shouldn't have to choose between their health and their right to vote."

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said California is the first state in the nation to commit to sending everyone mail-in ballots amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Padilla's office issued a statement in response to the lawsuit on Sunday: "Expanding vote-by-mail during a pandemic is not a partisan issue-it's a moral imperative to protect voting rights and public safety. Vote-by-mail has been used safely and effectively in red, blue, and purple states for years. This lawsuit is just another part of Trump's political smear campaign against voting by mail. We will not let this virus be exploited for voter suppression."