NEW: The California GOP setting up unauthorized and unofficial drop boxes not only runs afoul of the law (the CA SOS/AG issued cease and desist orders tonight), it puts them at odds with months of Trump and other Rs slamming ballot harvesting as fraudulent businessinsider.com/california-gop…
Tonight, @CASOSvote and @AGBecerra announced they sent cease-and-desist orders to the @CAGOP and county parties in Fresno, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties for setting up illegal dropboxes, hours after the state party doubled down on the practice
https://twitter.com/CAGOP/status/1315756226358046721
While California does indeed have some expansive rules around 3rd-party ballot collection, state law pretty clearly prohibits third parties/political groups that are not election officials from setting up drop boxes — people returning others' ballots must follow specific rules
The Trump campaign & the RNC have been vocally opposed to the practice of 3rd-party ballot collection. On the RNC's website about their election litigation, protectthevote.com, the phrase "ballot harvesting" mentioned 23 times — they've also sued in 7 states to restrict it
An RNC spox told me of the GOP drop-boxes: "We are continuing to fight Democrats' efforts to expand ballot harvesting, but we are not going to let them have an artificial advantage in places where it is legal." Setting up unauthorized drop boxes, however, is not legal
For months, GOP campaigns have encouraged their voters to take advantage of no-excuse absentee in their states even as the president undermined confidence in mail ballots — but this represents the starkest contrast yet btwn GOP rhetoric and what's happening on the ground
Trump has slammed 3rd party ballot collection as an "atrocious ballot harvesting scam" and his campaign has sought to limit 3rd-party collection and dropboxes in court, Now, the CA GOP admits to and defends unlawful 3rd party collection..with drop boxes
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1306657201235415046
"This looks more like paranoia about returning absentee ballots than an attempt at fraud," @rickhasen said of the GOP dropboxes. "It is ironic though that the GOP has set up a massive ballot harvesting operation, even though they are not calling it that." businessinsider.com/california-gop…
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