California election officials are sounding the alarm about fake ballot drop boxes that Republicans are setting up in stores, churches, and gyms. Republicans also are advertising the fake ballot box locations and encouraging voters to use them on social media. The boxes, labeled “Official ballot drop-off box,” are illegal and placing them is a felony under state law.
But instead of denying responsibility for the illegal and misleadingly labeled boxes, GOP party officials are defending them.
The Republicans argue,
“If a congregation/business or other group provides the option to its parishioners /associates/or colleagues to drop off their ballot in a safe location, with people they trust, rather than handing it over to a stranger who knocks on their door – what is wrong with that?”
It’s illegal, that’s what. Mark Stern at Slate, a liberal-leaning magazine, replied,
“California Republicans are allegedly creating fake drop boxes and tricking voters into depositing their ballots in them. Apparently they’re trying to prove voter fraud is real by committing actual election fraud.”
Photos: Real (top left) and fake (bottom right) California ballot drop-off boxes
Could be Republicans are being clever. In a heads I win and tails you lose kind of way. What is at issue is ballot harvesting. If an owner of a gun store provides customers a boc to put ballots in that they will then get to the mail or official polling place how is that different from someone going door to door to collect ballots. Doesn’t that person have to place collected ballots into some kind of container? Republicans can argue that in front of a judge when the state tries to enforce its action. The Republicans could ask the judge to suspend all ballot harvesting while the court considers, get the judge to agree the law permits their boxes
No, what’s at issue is they’re breaking the law.