LOS ANGELES – California Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Friday that state Republican Party officials have agreed to stop using unauthorized ballot collection boxes, but a state party spokesman had a different message.
“The rhetoric is one thing… but our observations in the field… is another,” Padilla said in a phone call with reporters. “Despite the rhetoric, we continue to hear the state Republican Party has agreed to cease the deployment of unauthorized, unofficial, unsecure ballot drop boxes.”
That was news to Republican Party officials in California, said party spokesman Hector Barajas.
“We still get to use the boxes,” Barajas said of the unofficial drop boxes that the party purchased and set up in various places in Los Angeles, Orange and Fresno counties, which sparked calls for investigations.
State GOP officials acknowledged earlier this week that it was a mistake for activists to place signs indicating the boxes were official, and they agreed to remove those.
Otherwise, “we made no concessions,” Barajas said of the use of the ballot collection boxes.
“They realized they didn’t have a leg to stand on,” Barajas said of Padilla and Becerra after attorneys for the party sent a letter Wednesday rejecting the state cease-and-desist order.
“They could have shortened this press conference by saying, `I’m sorry,’ ” Barajas said. “That’s what it comes out to at the end of the day.”
Padilla said anyone agreeing to deliver a ballot for someone else to a local election office must sign the outside of the ballot’s envelope. But whether that is done or not, the vote will still be counted.
Becerra acknowledged that a failure to sign the envelope won’t necessarily disqualify a vote, but he said that won’t let the conveyor of the vote off the hook legally.
“We can’t hold someone’s hand in everything they do,” Becerra said. “We think the law is pretty straightforward and anyone who wishes to participate in the process in which you collect the vote, please make sure you’re doing it appropriately… Please be safe and responsible.”
Padilla said the signature of the conveyor of the vote is important.
“The chain of custody in this is critical,” Padilla said. “That was not being kept with the unofficial drop boxes… It was misleading and deceptive and undermined voters’ understanding of how they’re surrendering their ballots… The Republican Party has acknowledged that in the use of those deceptive boxes.”
Becerra added, “The investigation is ongoing. We continue to monitor activities of any entity seeking to collect voters’ ballots and we want to admonish anyone participating in these activities to understand what their responsibilities are.”
One concern that has been raised is that a party activist could easily scan an envelope to determine if it is being cast by a Democrat or Republican and could dump ballots they don’t want counted.
Voters are encouraged to drop their ballots in the mail, in an official drop box monitored by their local Registrar of Voters, or they can drop them off at a Registrar of Voters’ offices or a vote center.
“When that chain of custody is lost, there is no guarantee all the ballots will be returned to the county and on a timely basis,” Padilla said.
“Because the law has a default position to respect and protect a vote and a ballot will be counted even if a name of a designated person is missing, that’s the effort California makes to ensure your ballot is counted, but that is not a defense for the person conducting these collection activities that they’re not liable,” Becerra said. “Make sure what you’re doing is done properly. Simply because a ballot is counted doesn’t mean you’re absolved of any liability if the conduct was in violation of the law.”
Barajas said, “We don’t want people to believe something nefarious is happening,” so if the party has to have a specific designated person sign the envelopes, then that’s what organizers will do.
“We’re just asking for parity in the law,” Barajas said. “Treat us as you do Democrats.”
Barajas said Republicans were “late to the ballot harvesting” and are doing what they can to level the playing field.
“This was a way to equalize things, to allow us to get into a ballot collection program,” he said.
“When we look at what’s been happening the past few years, have any of these questions or issues (been raised) by the Secretary of State or Attorney General,” Barajas added. “If I go door to door and go to your home and pick up your neighbor’s ballot, was it in a backpack with a lock on it? Are they OK in the trunk of my car or in my room? None of that has come up, and that is what we’ve been asking.”
Barajas added, “I would rather the ballots be secured in a metal lock box like we provide than some Santa bag or a backpack that the Democrats have been using for the last several years.”
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Diana says
VOTE DEMOCRAT!!!!, KEEP THE TRAIN WRECK GOING!!
maria says
I am SO sick of the” what aboutism” attitude that’s been going on since trump was “elected” in 2016. Geez! ” I much prefer a locked metal box rather than a santa bag like the democrats use” . Grow the eff up! It’s not a grade school election. It’s a presidential election. If you aren’t supposed to do something-like put up unofficial boxes for ballots,then don’t do it! If you win because you cheated, don’t you get it…it’s NOT a real win! So quit doing stuff to hamper the other party’s votes,no matter what it is. Didn’t they teach you about hollow victories in school? I will be so glad when this election is done. It’s appalling to me the way so called adults are acting.
Loam says
Were you “sick” in 2018 with the flood of late votes came in? Lines of homeless people registering and voting on the same day? Stacks of ballots being delivered by union workers?\
Do you think we got a supermajority Democratic legislature by happenstance?
Dave says
Republicans cannot be trusted around elections. They’ve been trying voter suppression tactics for years.
-Many of the new laws in orange states run by orange governors were ruled unconstitutional.
But they keep on trying
-Shortening the times for early voting
-1 drop off box for Harris County, Texas where Houston is.
-Putting voting places in hard to access places with no bus service in some southern states
-All kinds of ID verifications targeted at Democratic voters in orange states, and the young voters..
-Purging voter rolls right before elections and not letting the voters know they’ve been unregisteerd.
The Republican Party is a minority party and the only way they can win is by cheating. They don’t have the nubers .
Beecee says
Orange states…..
That’s racist
Loam says
“One concern that has been raised is that a party activist could easily scan an envelope to determine if it is being cast by a Democrat or Republican and could dump ballots they don’t want counted.”
Isn’t that true of anyone? If a scan “could easily” be done, then anyone who harvests ballots can screen ballots and toss out party affiliation that they don’t like. Isn’t this an argument against any kind of ballot harvesting?
“When that chain of custody is lost, there is no guarantee all the ballots will be returned to the county and on a timely basis,” Padilla said.
And again, that could happen to anyone harvesting ballots. Why do we let any third party collect ballots???
Tim Scott says
This is the key reasoning for why what the democrats are doing is LEGAL and what the republicans are doing is ILLEGAL.
Presumably, you are a Republican voter. If I show up at your door and say “hi, I’m canvassing for the Democratic party, and I also would be happy to take your ballot and make sure it gets into an official drop box” I think it is safe to assume I would not be “someone you trust” and you are not going to hand me your ballot.
Conversely, if you put out a box disguised as an “official secure non partisan drop box” there is the possibility of you getting your hands on ballots belonging to people who ABSOLUTELY would not trust you with them.
There are no flies on Biden says
Tim Scott, please,
You are talking to a presumed Republican. It’s hopeless.
Laughing says
Good question.
The voter rolls can be obtained, and used for such a nefarious purpose, quite easily.
Of course that does not take into account independents, and last minute party switchers.
This election cycle it would be interesting if Democrat votes were not counted how many of the Republican party switched up their votes. (After the all votes counted of course.) I know it would not happen but it would be amusing to see a wave that threw it to the Democrats or other parties in local elections.
Union Made says
I noticed the phony/fireman Mayor of Palmdale was behind the illegal drop boxes and bragging about how he was providing secure ballot delivery. He took those comments down and has gone radio silent since the State challenge. No guts no glory phony/fireman!
Loam says
Becerra is lying about ballot harvesting:
*“The chain of custody in this is critical,” Padilla said… “When that chain of custody is lost, there is no guarantee all the ballots will be returned to the county and on a timely basis,” Padilla said.*
No, there is nothing in the ballot harvesting law that describes the quality of person or responsibility of the person picking up the ballot. Having a stranger pick up a ballot in no way enforces a chain of custody – he can pass it to anyone or drop it in a trash can. There is no guarantee that ANYONE who picks up a ballot would return it on a timely basis, so we should get rid of ballot harvesting all together.
*One concern that has been raised is that a party activist could easily scan an envelope to determine if it is being cast by a Democrat or Republican and could dump ballots they don’t want counted.*
Yes, anyone can if they have the equipment. Democrats could collect ballots, “easily scan” and toss out Republican ballots. Either side can, so we should get rid of ballot harvesting all together.
Tim Scott says
I just want to know how Republicans have reached this point
The law is actually written in very simple terms.
The Republicans don’t like it, and since it was written by Democrats it isn’t surprising that they don’t.
But they still have to follow it. They could, in fact, do exactly what the Democrats are doing. The law allows it, and they could do it. Instead they are openly breaking the law. And when caught red handed their only defense is “treat us the same as the Democrats.”
WHY???
The Democrats are following the law. The Republicans aren’t. It doesn’t matter that the Republicans think the law is bad and they don’t like what the Democrats are doing. They COULD do the same thing, legally. But they aren’t. Instead they are breaking the law they don’t like.
Republicans NEVER used to defend lawbreaking. Never. This quacking about how what the Democrats are doing LEGALLY as if it excused law breaking is an embarrassment to everyone who has ever called themselves a Republican, living or dead.
Ronald Reagan would be ashamed of the California Republican Party.