Thread by @johnmyers

"We are going to use the same rules" as Democrats, CAGOP chair @millanpatterson says about the party's private ballot drop boxes. And to @AlexPadilla4CA: "He has no foundation to stand on" in demanding the ballot boxes be removed.

So...

The CAGOP position in a nutshell: this is community collection of ballots, nothing more... and that the boxes are only handed out to groups as long as they're staffed and that ballots are delivered within 72 hours, per state law.

CAGOP attorney says widely distributed photo of drop box on a sidewalk (presumably the one below) is misleading b/c the pastor who snapped the pic did so as it was being delivered, not at its final spot.

More from CAGOP attorney: the ballot delivery person not putting their info on the voter's envelope does not invalidate the ballot. (He's right, there's a 2018 law to that effect.) Their point: dropping it into a GOP box without that info doesn't make the collection illegal.

CAGOP attorney says "overzealous volunteer" was to blame for putting "official" on *some*, he says, of the party's private drop boxes.

CAGOP officials again lashing out at CA law allowing anyone to deliver a person's ballot. (Note: National Conference of State Legislatures reports 26 states allow a voter to designate someone else to return their ballot for them, only 12 have specific limits on number of ballots)

"We decided we need to be forcefully out there collecting ballots" in this election, says @KenCalvert in CAGOP press call explaining/defending use of party ballot drop boxes.

I've now lost count of the number of times CAGOP officials have said in press event that their version of multiple ballot collection is safe and fine and Democratic/union ballot collection programs are dangerous and nefarious.

CAGOP attorney says they delivered the drop boxes with a sticker that didn't say "official," but others did it to some number of boxes. "It was an unfortunate error," says attorney Tom Hiltachk and "really had no effect."

One thing we don't yet know: CAGOP says boxes are locked, but we don't know who has the key(s).

So what we seem to be hearing from CAGOP: Ballot drop boxes won't be removed from communities but will be in locations with staff/volunteers and won't have label marked "official" any longer.

"The fact that it's in a box doesn't make it illegal," Hiltachk says about CAGOP collecting ballots. But then: "If we have to use a bag, we'll use a bag."

Asked by my colleague @sarahparvini for how many counties the CAGOP drop boxes are in, party officials refuse to confirm. At least 3 -- Orange, LA, Fresno -- and they suggest more counties, but then stop short of saying more.

Final CAGOP thought in this thread, expressed by Chairwoman @millanpatterson: removing the party's private drop boxes would be tantamount to voter suppression.

"We are going to be 'ballot harvesting' throughout our entire state," she says.
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