https://www.sfchronicle.com/po...big-for-13432727.php

Some Republicans have cast a skeptical eye on Democrats’ use of “ballot harvesting” to boost their support. The idea’s backers say it’s just one of several steps California has taken to enable more people to vote.

Few people noticed when Gov. Jerry Brown signed the changes in AB1921 into law two years ago. In the past, California allowed only relatives or people living in the same household to drop off mail ballots for another voter .

The new law allowed anyone, even a paid political campaign worker, to collect and return ballots — “ harvesting ” them, in political slang.

The change was strictly a public service, said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, author of the bill. The old rules, she said, “simply provide yet another obstacle for individuals attempting to vote.”

Republicans didn’t agree, and the measure passed the Legislature on a largely party-line vote.

They felt the hit on Nov. 6 — and in the days after, as late-arriving Democratic votes were tabulated and one Republican candidate after another saw leads shrink and then evaporate. This week, a seventh GOP-held congressional seat flipped to the Democrats, leaving Republicans controlling a mere seven of California’s 53 House districts.

In Orange County alone, where every House seat went Democratic, “the number of Election Day vote-by-mail dropoffs was unprecedented — over 250,000 ,” Fred Whitaker, chairman of the county Republican Party, said in a note to supporters. “This is a direct result of ballot harvesting allowed under California law for the first time. That directly caused the switch from being ahead on election night to losing two weeks later.”

Some national Republicans expressed befuddlement with what was happening to their party in California. In an interview with the Washington Post, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin called California’s election system “really bizarre” and said he couldn’t even begin to understand what ballot harvesting is.

“We were only down 26 seats (nationally) the night of the election and three weeks later, we lost basically every California race,” he said. “Point being, when you have candidates that win the absentee ballot vote, win the day of the vote, and then lose three weeks later because of provisionals, that’s really bizarre.”

However, this was no spur-of-the-moment effort by the Democrats, said Shawn Steel, the California GOP’s delegate to the Republican National Committee.

“This was not done at the last minute,” he said. “It started the day after Jerry signed” the bill.

Rep. Jeff Denham of Turlock (Stanislaus County), one of the House Republicans who saw victory slowly turn to defeat after election day, agreed with Ryan Thursday that California’s count should go more quickly. “Counting ballots two weeks after the vote is something that Californians shouldn’t have to put up with,” he said.

But in an earlier interview after it was clear he’d lost, Denham said the GOP had been slow to adapt to changes in California’s election system.

“One of the lessons that the GOP needs to learn out of this election cycle is how to work within all of the new rules, same-day voter registration, motor voters,” Denham said. “There have been a lot of changes in laws that I think have caught many in the Republican Party by surprise. You can’t just run a traditional campaign as you did before.”

He added, “If one party’s harvesting ballots, both parties need to do it.”

Across the state there were reports of groups collecting ballots and dropping them off at polling places and election offices.

“We certainly had that going on here, with people dropping off maybe 100 or 200 ballots ,” said Neal Kelley, Orange County’s registrar of voters. “We also had voters calling and asking if it was legitimate for someone to come to their door and ask if they could take their ballot” and deliver it to the polls.

For Democrats, the ballot harvesting was all part of a greater effort to get out the vote from their supporters, particularly from occasional voters.

“We beat Republicans on the ground, fair and square,” said Katie Merrill, a Democratic consultant deeply involved in November campaigns. “Many of the field plans included (ballot harvesting) as an option to deliver voters or their ballots” to the polls.

Those efforts involved identifying voters who might support Democratic candidates and ignoring those who wouldn’t.

In one Orange County household, for example, both the husband and wife were longtime Republicans, said Dale Neugebauer, a veteran Republican consultant. Democratic volunteers came by the house four times, each time asking to speak only with their 18-year-old daughter, a no-party-preference voter, and asking if she wanted them to pick up her signed and completed ballot.

That’s a perfect example of the “thorough and disciplined” ground game the Democrats used, said Merrill.

“ We were not wasting time talking to people who weren’t going to vote for Democrats ,” she said.

Many of those harvested ballots arrived in the waning days of the election, adding to the flood of votes that couldn’t be counted on election day. And those late ballots broke heavily for the Democrats.

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We have seen a tremendous effort to build databases of how individuals vote (DEM or REP). The DEMs are exploiting that technology to focus on getting the DEM votes in.

How do you verify third parties showing up w a few hundred ballots?

The DEMs push for voting laws that enable voter fraud.

Too bad, our state and federal republicans are just gonna roll over and take it. We have no recourse in California anymore to prevent this crap short of a full blown uprising. Our courts are rigged, the ballot system is rigged, our elections are rigged, and our “republican” politicians are pushovers. Come on Trump and DOJ, you’re all we have left.

It's common practice where I am originally from.
Here is a case where some got caught buying them. Several people caught up in this one hold public offices now and the one at the center of it runs the private ambulance service there. There were no long term repercussions at all.

https://www.arktimes.com/Arkan...g-from-east-arkansas

There should be one or two days of voting, in person, at a polling place. Only exception would be for members of our military who may mail in theirs.

No early voting, no mail in voting, no vote harvesting, no (much less) fraud.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
There should be one or two days of voting, in person, at a polling place. Only exception would be for members of our military who may mail in theirs.

No early voting, no mail in voting, no vote harvesting, no (much less) fraud.

Just playing devil's advocate, how do my parents in a nursing home vote given they're not really mobile anymore? I understand where you're going with this, and agree with you in theory, but there are some other issues to be resolved. However, this vote harvesting deal should without question be illegal.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
There should be one or two days of voting, in person, at a polling place. Only exception would be for members of our military who may mail in theirs.

No early voting, no mail in voting, no vote harvesting, no (much less) fraud.

And what about me, who is a sailor, and is on a schedule where I am out at sea every November every other year which just happens to be the election year every time? I haven't been home for a Presidential or Midterm election since I think 2010.

Point being, there are very legitimate cases other than military where an absentee ballot makes sense. It should be limited, however, and strictly enforced.

just about everything democrats do is illegal

and no one ever hits back

Balzé Halzé and bigdeal are right... there are legitimate reasons for absentee voting.
BUT it has gotten out of hand.
For the most part, the election should be in person and on election day.
This "vote harvesting" is completely out of control. We just continue to make voter fraud easier and easier. Before long, people will completely lose faith in the legitimacy of elections and therefore the legitimacy of government itself.

There was nothing stopping me from filling out the absentee ballot for my two out-of-state college kids. There are legitimate reason for absentee voting, but I think the one-party rule in CA is making is easier for the able-bodied and present to stay home. It won't be long before they're coming to your house to pick up your ballot....perhaps take a few minutes to help you fill it out!

quote:

It won't be long before they're coming to your house to pick up your ballot....perhaps take a few minutes to help you fill it out!

That, or completely replace it on the way to being tallied. Anything the democrats touch is fraud anymore. I trust not a ONE of them.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
For the most part, the election should be in person and on election day.

quote:

a1abdj:
There should be one or two days of voting, in person, at a polling place. Only exception would be for members of our military who may mail in theirs.

With all due respect, Fuck. That.
I am on the permanent early voter list and intend to stay there.
I mail my ballot to the county election folks, the same folks that count up the ballots turned in on election day...the only difference is my ballot is already at their office.

The "ballot harvesting" and having a party hack collect them is what should be banned.

Chain of custody. If there is another set of hands that touches your ballot between the time you fill it out and the time it is accepted by the state, then it is ripe for fraud.

Sorry for those who really do have legitimate reasons, but in order to eliminate all of this BS it needs to be an in person vote where your identity can be verified.

From the California web site: "Personally delivered ballots: Must be delivered by close of polls on March 3, 2020; Mailed ballots: Must be postmarked on or before March 3, 2020, and received by your county elections office no later than March 6, 2020."

If the ballot is not valid on March 6, then it's NOT VALID. Easy to figure out

Early voting, absentee voting, extended hours, just tools for the left to game the election.

It’s just to much to expect people to vote over a few days, after all, ‘every vote must be counted’.

Just tools to cheat. How about if we go back to a job(retirement O.K.),or property ownership to vote?

block chain technology addresses all these issues...

Another democrat party SCAM to steal an election. They aren't fooling anyone......

Is there a website that keeps track of all this? I'm sick of hearing some idiot mention there is no fraud when it keeps being exposed.

quote:

Originally posted by KMitch200:

quote:

a1abdj:
There should be one or two days of voting, in person, at a polling place. Only exception would be for members of our military who may mail in theirs.

With all due respect, Fuck. That.
I am on the permanent early voter list and intend to stay there.
I mail my ballot to the county election folks, the same folks that count up the ballots turned in on election day...the only difference is my ballot is already at their office.

The "ballot harvesting" and having a party hack collect them is what should be banned.

With all due respect, I agree with KMitch200 100%. Back in the 1960's when I was in college, absentee ballots were only provided as a1abdj suggests (for anyone away from their home state, not just military), but that was over 50 years ago. Times have changed and the early ballot thing (at least as it is administered in AZ) is much more convenient for older folks like myself who don't get around so well, and standing in line is a no-go. Many others use the early ballot simply because it is easy and secure (again, at least in AZ). I do take care to drop our ballots off at the PO, rather than leaving them in our mailbox for pickup. Mailbox theft is a very unlikely possibility in our remote and quiet community, where strangers are noticed easily. And it is the "ballot harvesting" thing that should be banned, not early ballots.

We all know what should be done but there's no will to make it happen. The GOP is utterly worthless. They've sat around doing nothing while the Dems run circles around them. Between election fraud and massive demographic change the democrat party is close to bitch slapping the GOP into complete irrelevance.

Absentee ballots should be allowed for any US citizen who is out of country so that they can cast their vote. Early voting I think is fine as well as long as you arrive at the voting location with proper ID and pull the lever. Hell, busing in people is fine as long as they have ID. If you have some physical ailment or are handicapped then mail in should be good. Other than those exceptions and it should be a small percentage of the vote your ass needs to be at the voting location in person to vote. Can't make it, too bad. We should know results within 24 hours and thats it, done. No more ballots found in trunks or mysteriously showing up.