California GOP Refuses To Follow State Order To Remove Fake Ballot Boxes

The California GOP is refusing to remove fake ballot boxes from several locations around the state.

Vice News reports that lawyers for the California Republican Party have stated that they will be ignoring a cease-and-desist letter from state officials and will continue to collect ballots in collection boxes that have been set up at churches, gyms, gun shops and other public places.

In a letter, Attorney Thomas M. Hiltachk wrote to Secretary of State Alex Padilla on Wednesday, claiming that the “program you now falsely claim to be illegal is a perfect example of what you ‘proudly’ stated to be permissible just last year.” In the document, the lawyers stood by their act, saying they will continue to collect ballots regardless of the legal document instructing them not to. Padilla and Attorney General Xavier Becerra sent out a demand letter on Thursday ordering them to remove the fake boxes. According to Vice and CNN, the office is reviewing the GOP’s letter.

Back in 2016, the Democrats signed off on a law that said voters can authorize “the designation of any person,” including campaign officials, to collect their ballots and return them on their behalf, Vice writes. The boxes have been seen in a variety of locations in four counties. California GOP spokesman Hector Barajas said it will continue picking up people’s ballots in the fake boxes. “Ballot harvesting program will continue,” Barajas told CNN.

The party did say that it will remove the “official” label that was placed on some of the boxes. Mislabeling the boxes could be deemed as fraud, as pointed out by election law blogger and professor at the University of California-Irvine, Rick Hasen. “Other than the question of using “official” on boxes, which could be fraud, it is unclear to me whether these ballot boxes are illegal. They are however a risk of third-party interference; official drop boxes are more secure and trustworthy. No one should use unofficial ones,” he wrote on Twitter.