Thread by @BarbByrum

Hi Congresswoman @LisaforCongress 👋 Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, here! I saw this video of you at an event talking about the need to “ballot harvest” and I think there are some things you should know before you try that: 🧵

This has become a bit of an issue for those of a certain political persuasion who believe that the other side already does this. Two problems: 1) They don’t and 2) Ballot Harvesting is simply not legal.

Yet higher and higher profile Republicans keep alluding to the fact that they think that they should do it…
bridgemi.com/michigan-gover…

For those who do not know (of which I will be forced to assume you are one), “ballot harvesting” means learning that someone has an absentee ballot, collecting their ballot, and taking it to their local clerk to turn it in, voting the ballot.

There is a very finite list of people who can turn in a voter’s ballot and it is written into state election law. legislature.mi.gov/(S(5i5vbvyopv2…

A local clerk or their representative can pick up a ballot from a voter at the voter’s request, and they must wear and show credentials when they arrive to obtain that ballot.

A voter can also send the ballot with a member of their immediate family to turn it in. In this section of law, immediate family includes father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent or grandchild.

It also includes a person residing in the voter’s household.

If anyone other than those people (or your friendly postal worker) possesses, delivers, returns, solicits to return, or agrees to return a ballot, they have violated election law in the great state of Michigan. legislature.mi.gov/(S(5i5vbvyopv2…

Any person found to be doing so would be committing a felony that comes with a fine of up to $1,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 5 years… for each violation. 
legislature.mi.gov/(S(ohadenaqk1y…

There is a big distinction between ballot harvesting and ballot chasing, as the person tried to yell to you, during your speech.

Ballot chasing is perfectly legal, and it is a commonly used practice by candidates whereby they obtain the list of voters with absentee ballots (which is public record), and communicate with them about the issues or remind THEM to cast their ballots.

Offering to take their ballot to the dropbox or the local clerk’s office is where the line is drawn.

So do yourself a favor, do not commit election crimes… or any crimes for that matter. And if you do plan to commit election crimes, do not tell a ballroom full of people.