Californian Republicans have placed ballot boxes for the upcoming 2020 general Election throughout the state. The boxes do not meet the state’s requirements set for the upcoming election. Unapproved ballot boxes open up the possibility of voter fraud.

The boxes placed by Republicans are similar in appearance to the official ballot boxes. Attorney General Xavier Becerra encourages people to use the official ballot boxes when dropping off their ballots. The official locations of the ballot boxes are on the website, caearly.sos.ca.gov.

Republicans have placed boxes outside churches, gun shops, and party offices.

The New York Times reports that the ballot boxes have signage that reads, “official ballot box,” or “ballot dropbox.” The boxes have no discernible differences between the official and unofficial types.

California attorney general sends cease and desist letter to Republicans

Attorney General Becerra with California’s Secretary of State Alex Padilla sent a cease and desist letter to county and state Republicans about drop boxes. The letter instructs Republicans to remove and stop placing ballot boxes throughout the state. They urged voters to track their votes to make sure the vote counts when dropped at an unauthorized ballot box.

The New York Times quoted Padilla stating, “misleading voters is wrong regardless of who is doing it.” They are investigating the ballot boxes.

Padilla and Becerra did not announce any criminal charges, but the continued use of the ballot boxes could lead to criminal or civil penalties.

Republicans will not stop placing ballot boxes

The Republican party is the minority in California. The number of ballot boxes is unknown and the Californian Republican party will not disclose the amount or their locations.

They placed the boxes in locations to encourage an increased voter turnout on election day.

California controls a website showing the locations of official ballot boxes in the state. The website shows the location of the ballot boxes in Fresno County, including the boxes placed by the Republicans. They suspect the boxes are being used for ballot harvesting, possibly fraud.

Republicans plan to harvest ballots

California does not have a law against ballot harvesting. Ballot harvesting allows individuals to pick up ballots from people unable to get to the polling stations. The laws vary on ballot harvesting across the nation.

Ballot harvesting can lead to fraud where individuals collect the ballots of their affiliated party and not the opponents. They have not announced felony or civil penalties against the Republican party. State Republican spokesman Hector Barajas said, “Democrats only seem to object to ballot harvesting when someone else is doing it,” as reported by Fox News.

The state legislators refused to discuss ballot harvesting. Harvesting is not illegal, but tampering with the vote would be against the law.

Citizens of California may process their votes as they see fit.

The extra boxes look like the official ballot boxes. The boxes’ placement is primarily in Republican-held areas of the state. Democrats in those areas might see the box and then drop their ballots.

The individual who collects the ballots will not break the law if he delivers those ballots to the proper location for tabulation. It would be unlawful if they selected the ballots they delivered. An example would be if the individual delivered Republican ballots, not Democratic ones.

Attorney General Becerra and Secretary of State Padilla have not accused Republicans of wrongdoing. Their announcement was to protect the citizens of California from having inaccurate counts of votes rendered.

They created the announcement to make sure the electors knew about the unauthorized ballot boxes.

The Republican is trying to encourage voter turnout. The boxes make it easier for voters to turn in their ballots. Democrats control California, and Republicans are trying to increase their odds in the upcoming elections.

The ballot boxes are not illegal to place. The unauthorized boxes are not as secure as the official boxes. This lack of security could lead to theft of the ballots inside.

They do not guarantee the official boxes will stop theft. The voter has the choice to use a box, drop it off in person, or vote in person. Theft or removal of ballots to avoid being counted is illegal, and prosecution is likely for the individuals involved.

Voting is important for a strong democracy. The method is up to the voter. A voter drops off the ballot in person, decreasing the chance of fraud, ensuring that the individual vote gets counted and is accurate.
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