California Ballot-Harvest Boomerang

Democrats in Sacramento have been rewriting election laws to help their party “ballot harvest.” But now Republicans have figured out how to play the same game, and Democratic state leaders are threatening legal action.

In 2016 California Democrats passed a law allowing anybody, including paid campaign operatives and political parties, to collect and return mail-in ballots. Two years later Democrats prohibited “disqualifying a ballot solely because the person returning it did not provide on the identification envelope his or her name, relationship to the voter, or signature.”

We oppose ballot harvesting because it invites mischief and undermines public confidence in elections. Democrats dismiss these concerns and argue that ballot harvesting increases voter access. Ballot integrity isn’t among their priorities.