California GOP defends illegal ballot boxes, plans to expand program

[Valin]

ABC7

After a cease and desist letter was sent to the California Republican Party regarding their illegal ballot drop boxes, the state GOP says they plan to expand the program.

Josh Haskell

Oct 14 2020

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- After California Secretary of State Alex Padilla sent a cease and desist letter to the California Republican Party regarding their illegal ballot drop boxes, the state GOP isn't backing down and says they plan to expand the program.

"We are going to continue this program. If he wants to take us to court, then we'll see him court," said Hector Barajas, spokesman for the California Republican Party.

The controversy started over the weekend when the secretary of state's office and county registrar's received reports of suspicious ballot drop boxes in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Fresno counties. The state Republican Party says the boxes are legal because it's ballot harvesting, which authorizes another person to take their ballot to a collection site, but the secretary of state says this doesn't qualify as ballot harvesting because the collection boxes are unmanned.

"We have been opposed to ballot harvesting and Republicans are still opposed to ballot harvesting, but we have a choice. We can either whine and complain about the election results later or we can get smart and figure out the rules and figure out the chess board they laid out before us and play the game that they're doing," said Barajas.

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