California GOP refuses to comply with cease-and-desist order over unofficial ballot boxes
The California Republican Party stated on October 14 that it would not comply with a state-ordered cease-and-desist requiring the removal of unofficial ballot dropoff boxes. According to CNN, this follows the California Republican Party admitting to installing the unofficial ballot dropoff boxes in at least four counties: Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, and Fresno. The Republican Party claims that these ballot boxes comply with the legal practice of ballot harvesting wherein third-parties collect Californians’ ballots and deliver them to voting centers.
These unofficial boxes set up around the state respond to an historic increase in mail-in voting around the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to USA Today, California’s Secretary of State Office reported that 1.5 million voters have already mailed in their ballots compared to the 150,000 total mail-in ballots received during the 2016 election. Despite the technical legality of the GOP’s ballot harvesting, Democrats have slammed the practice as misleading.
In a news conference with California Secretary of State Alex Padilla on October 12, Padilla remarked that “[m]isleading voters is wrong regardless of who’s doing it.” In the same conference, Attorney General Xavier Becerra commented that “[t]ampering with the vote is illegal, and anyone who knowingly engages in tampering or misuse of the vote is subject to prosecution.” Both officials urged Californians to continue reporting these ballot boxes to local election officers.
In response to these accusations, the Republican Party has cited ballot harvesting’s legal status in California. Republican State Senator Melissa Mendez wrote on Twitter; “This is [a] law Democrats passed… They are now outraged Republicans have adjusted to and are abiding by the new rules.” Moreover, Republicans have denied allegations of labelling these boxes as official and blamed such reports on “perhaps an overzealous volunteer.”
The Washington Post reported that Republican National Committee member Harmeet Dhillon equates these comments from the Democratic Party with voter suppression, claiming that the “letter from the Democrat Secretary of State is a voter suppression effort, aimed at intimidating California Republican Party officials and volunteers from gathering and delivering ballots.”
The cease-and-desist order threatens legal action if not abided. The California Democratic Party has not responded to the GOP’s refusal to comply as of October 15; however, considering that Democrats composed the entirety of the California State Leadership, Republicans certainly have a tough road ahead if they wish to maintain their defiance.