Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Attorney General Xavier Becerra ordered the state Republican Party to stop using unauthorized ballot collection boxes — some of which were found in Los Angeles County — or face civil or criminal punishment.
The warnings and cease-and-desist orders stemmed from complaints surfacing this past weekend out of Los Angeles, Orange and Fresno counties about unofficial ballot collection boxes.
State Republican Party officials argued that what they are doing is no different than so-called ballot harvesting, which allows organizations to collect ballots on behalf of individuals and submit them to election officials. But Padilla and Becerra disagreed.
“Unofficial, unauthorized ballot drop boxes are not permitted by state law,” Padilla said, who called their use “misleading.”
Padilla sent a cease-and-desist order to Republican organizations in Los Angeles, Orange and Fresno counties to remove the unauthorized ballot boxes. Becerra warned of consequences for those who fail to heed the order.
“We’re getting some disturbing reports that perhaps some Republican Party officials in the state where these fake drop boxes have been situated may not be prepared or willing to remove these drop boxes,” Becerra said.
“We hope the message goes out loud and clear that anyone who improperly solicits or manages a citizen’s vote is subject to prosecution for engaging in activities that are against the law in the state of California. I’m trying to be careful how I say this but the reports we’re hearing are disturbing.”
Padilla said the unofficial drop boxes are not the same as authorized ones because the legal ones have been constructed in a way to ensure the safety of the ballot. He said his office will do its best to count every ballot no matter where it came from, but he said unofficial drop boxes can undermine public confidence in the election.
When a voter cannot manage to put a ballot in the mail or drop one off at an elections office or drop box, the voter can authorize someone to do it for them, but the voter and the carrier of the vote must sign the envelope containing the ballot, Padilla said.
The state Republican Party issued a statement insisting the drop boxes were legal.
“In California, where you can have convicted felons and individuals with a criminal history go door to door and collect ballots from voters, Democrats are now upset because organizations, individuals and groups are offering an opportunity for their friends, family, and patrons to drop off their ballot with someone they know and trust,” according to a statement from the California Republican Party.
“The Democrat anger is overblown when state law allows organizations, volunteers or campaign workers to collect completed ballots and drop them off at polling places or election offices.
“If Democrats are so concerned with ballot harvesting, they are the ones who wrote the legislation, voted for it, and (former) Gov. Jerry Brown signed it into law. California Republicans would be happy to do away with ballot harvesting.”
State GOP spokesman Hector Barajas added, “The Secretary of State’s action is just a deflection from the mounting criticism for giving a non- budgeted, $35 million get-out-the-vote contract to a `Team Biden’ PR firm, which is also receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars to oppose Republican candidates in targeted California districts.”
Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, who chairs the Senate committee on elections and constitutional amendments, criticized the use of the unauthorized drop boxes.
“Local prosecuting agencies will have the full support of the state when pursuing and prosecuting the criminal activity of committing voter fraud, such as the setting up of these unofficial and unauthorized ballot boxes,” Umberg said. “Those setting up these boxes in an attempt to misrepresent themselves as election officials and subvert our democracy must be punished.”
The Secretary of State office issued a memo on Oct. 11 warning that the use of unauthorized, non-official vote by mail ballot drop boxes does not comply with state law. Read the memo here: https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/ccrov/pdf/2020/october/20240jl.pdf
The L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk is responsible for authorizing the placement of all Vote by Mail Drop Box locations within L.A. County. There are 403 official L.A. County Drop Box locations which can be found at https://locator.lavote.net/locations/.
Information about the official Drop Boxes can be found at https://lavote.net/docs/rrcc/election-info/VBM-Drop-Box-Flyer.pdf .
Residents who have questions about Vote by Mail Drop Boxes or are aware of any unofficial boxes, are encouraged to call 800-815-2666, then choose option 2. Residents can also email vbmdropoff@rrcc.lacounty.gov or go to LAvote.net to use the locator tool to find Drop Boxes throughout L.A. County. This information is also printed on the Vote by Mail Drop Boxes.
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Dave says
What is with you people? You can mail in your ballots with no problem here in California because its a Blue State not some backward orange state run by Republicans with 5 hour lines like Georgia and 1 drop off box for the county that Houston is in with millions of people. That’s called VOTER SUPPRESSION a GOP feature.
This is the email I got back yesterday after mailing in my ballot last week.
Hello DAVE XXX
This is a message from Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters. Your ballot for the 2020 General Election was
received and will be counted. Thank you for voting.
Share that you voted!
Facebook | Twitter
Geez. I didn’t know that by living in the Antelope Valley I’d be living amongst idiots.
Pretty cool, eh? This is the year 2020 and not 1940. No postage required. What’s wrong with you that a mail in ballot is so difficult that you are consumed by dropoff boxes and whatnot?
If mail in voting and drop off boxes are an issue for you, you must a Trumper.
Needless to say, my life works and I do what works unlike Trump voters. They would complain if they were hung with a new rope.
Dave says
Mail in your ballots.
This is California not South Carolina.
Well, unless Republican hacks decide to pull some stunts like mess with the post office like Trump did or put out phony drop boxes like they did in Orange County.
DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT TRUST REPUBLICANS AT ELECTION TIME or any other time.
Beecee says
One party state,
Mysterious there are only 3-5 drop boxes out of 21 on the west side of the freeway.
I wonder why.
There is not even one drop box around the Mall/rancho vista/Ana verde section of Palmdale.
Matt says
There is a box in front of everyone’s residence, or at least a few houses down. That should be convenient enough for u.
Claire says
California Republicans have put themselves directly at odds with the messaging of Trump and national Republicans who have forcefully opposed ballot-harvesting efforts. California Republicans going against their beloved Trump.
Francis says
No room for argument, it’s a Nancy Pelosi State, isn’t it? Her daughter gets to be a super-delegate; her son-in-law gets to be governor. Indeed, if you’re a Pelosi democrat, one of those a deranged, whacked-out never-Trumpers, California is your oyster. California is your kind of place.
Loam says
With COVID running around, drop boxes sound safer than ballet harvesting door-to-door. How much of a difference is there between a man collecting ballets and a man with a box collecting ballets?
So, we cannot go trick-or-treating, but collecting ballets by hand is encouraged???
Seriously says
Loam, ballets can be dropped off, not collected door to door.
This is where misinformation spread by people causes confusion.
There are rules that have to be followed for the dropping off of the ballot as well.
The drop boxes being put in place are not following rules.
Most educated people would not trust them as well.
Voter rolls are easy to obtain, and thus easy to make the presumed opposing ballots disappear.
Drop the ballots in the mail, where they have to follow rules.
Or drop them at legal voting locations, where they have to follow rules.
If either place does not follow rules, there are laws to prosecute because those two locations are covered by laws.
Dave says
Seriously, Seriously. Don’t try to educate Loam on this. It’s hopeless.
Trump and Co. have so far spread misinformation about voting and everything else that their the followers are immune to any correct information.
Loam isn’t the only one here.
Loam says
No, you are incorrect. In 2016 (assembly bill 1921) the law was added to allow any person to carry a ballot from a voting individual to a voting center. This means political operatives can go door-to-door and collect ballots to turn in.
Even this article states that ballot harvesting is legal: “ballot harvesting, which allows organizations to collect ballots on behalf of individuals and submit them to election officials”. It is in the story above.
If there are specifics in the law that state that the “organization” must be a human being and not a box method of collection, then please specify. Right now, it’s just one politician’s word against another. Padilla says a box cannot be used; GOP officials say that the law does not specify that a box cannot be used. Did the author read the law that cites the difference?
So, please explain why a person going to a door to accept a ballot and take to a voting center is different than a person delivering a box to a voting center.
Dave says
Padilla is an official, Loam. GOP ‘officials’ are not government officials, just party hacks.
But, what can we expect from you?
Seriously says
Ah, see I was incorrect. Thank you, somehow I missed 1921.
Perhaps the drop boxes have to be properly registered with the state to be legal. Should be something easy to remedy.
Alexis says
California state law! Unauthorized ballot boxes set up is a felony offense. Disturbing behavior.
Dave says
The CORRUPT REPUBLICANS are at it again trying to steal an election by cheating.
They know Trump is a loser and they are suckers so this is one of many last ditch attempts to rig the votes.
That’s okay. California’s Electoral College votes will all go to Joe and Kamala. Too bad for our little Billy Bart. He may as well stay home November 3.
Meanwhile, Trump, HIGH ON STEROIDS, is having another mask-free cheek-to-jowl rally. He’s trying to thin the right wing herd by infecting them.
Kiss my grass says
Actually the phony/fireman Mayor of Palmdale is promoting the use of these partisan drop boxes thinking that gives him some kind of GOP credit. I wouldn’t ever trust anything this phony pushes including his oversized ego!!
Billy Bart says
… doesn’t matter, pulling the ballot boxes. One party system, here in California, the Nancy Pelosi people get to be the boss of everyone. Everybody has to do what she says. Or, else –
Matt says
Yeah. Doesnt matter that they tried to cheat. Even though that what the Republicans scream that’s what the Democrats do. Mail in balloting is unsafe Donald yells!!!! Even though his people are doing the shady stuff. At least it wont matter here since Trump will lose horribly. But what about battle ground states? Where they are most likely doing similar things and have armed militias trying to scare people away. I dont think that’s how America and democracy is suppose to work. Maybe it’s just me.
Loam says
Is ballet harvesting the way that democracy is supposed to work? Flooding the state with ballets and then encouraging people to go door-to-door in a pandemic to find what ever ballets they can? Going into nursing homes to “help” people fill out their ballets? Ballet harvesting of more than three is illegal in Minnesota but we have seen the video evidence of what people would do to “get out the vote”.