Should the GOP Adopt Ballot Harvesting?

American Thinker ^ | 03/08/2023 | Joe Fried

[SeekAndFind]

Recently, President Trump urged Republicans to “...become masters of ballot harvesting.” He told an audience at CPAC they need to start harvesting ballots (legally) to counter the harvesting by Democrats. Perhaps I am hung up on semantics, but I think ballot harvesting is awful and usually illegal.

What is “Ballot Harvesting”?

A harvester is usually an anonymous political operative, or someone paid by a political operative, who rounds up ballots and places them in voter drop boxes or mailboxes -- sometimes after altering them. In other cases he gives the ballots to a political organization, where they are “reviewed” prior to distribution to drop boxes by “mules.” Harvesters and mules are often paid “by the piece,” which means they have a big incentive to obtain ballots in any way possible.

A harvester might knock on your door while you are watching “90 Day Fiancé,” and offer to “help” you mail your ballot. But he also might pluck the ballot (or ballot application) directly from your mailbox before you get home from work. Perhaps, someone working at the city trash dump will pull unused ballots from garbage. The price paid for these harvested ballots could be very high if the election is closely contested, and if there are only a few days left to change the outcome.

Some harvesters don’t even bother dealing with real people. They register “phantoms” (made-up people) at fake addresses, such as gas stations, parking lots, and commercial buildings. Then they apply for ballots in the name of the phantoms, and vote those ballots when they arrive.

[SeekAndFind]

How to Harvest Ballots – An Expert’s Guide

Jon Levine, writing for the New York Post, interviewed a “top Democratic operative” who asserted that voter fraud with mail-in ballots is no myth. “And he knows this because he’s been doing it, on a grand scale, for decades” (emphasis added). Levine described the interview, which took place on August 29, 2020.

This “consultant” claimed that he worked for various campaigns and “led teams of fraudsters and mentored at least 20 operatives in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania -- a critical 2020 swing state.”

The harvester said he and his colleagues would often steam open envelopes and insert new or altered ballots into them. Care would be taken to disperse the harvested ballots into several mail boxes to avoid suspicion.

The anonymous harvester told Levine that some postal workers get in on the scam. Ballots (or ballot applications) can be taken by mail carriers before they are even delivered because a postal worker knows exactly who has moved out, who is on vacation, or who has died.

Here are some other tidbits from the harvesting expert:

• Some mail carriers work directly within his “work crews.”
• Nursing homes can be “a gold mine of votes.” In some cases, a nurse would be one of his paid operatives. He referred to this activity as “granny harvesting.”
• Homeless people are a reliable source of cheap ballots.
• He knew of one guy who paid $50 for a single ballot. (Inflation is impacting everyone!)

What can be Done About Ballot Harvesting?

• States need to require voters to provide some form of hard identification, such as four digits of the Social Security number or the driver’s license.
• Each state should make harvesting explicitly illegal, with stiff penalties.
• Drop boxes and mail boxes should be in secure locations, with 24/7 video camera recordings.
• Chain-of-custody records must be completed and double-signed.
• Registrations rolls need to be cleaned up, and kept current constantly.
• Publicly-aired announcements should warn voters to not let strangers handle their ballots.

[BuchananBrigadeTrumpFan]

Without arguing about the definition of “ballot harvesting”... I do believe that Republicans need to insist upon ballot drop boxes and voter registration kiosks in every church, bowling alley, country club, race track and shooting range in America.

[ScottinVA]

Yes it most certainly should. If the GOP fails to use every available tactic to win elections, it is destined to lose.

[reviled downesdad]

Absolutely. Conservatives need to take the mentality of: if they pull a knife we pull a gun.

[brownsfan]

Yes

[Poison Pill]

Why don’t we become masters of changing state laws to outlaw vote by mail and require voting only on election day and only after presentation of valid id?

[Shadow44]

2016 proved that the GOP could win in places like Wisconsin and Michigan by maximizing rural voters who are checked out. Millions of these eligible voters aren't even registered.

The GOP doesn't care because they don't want to represent these people, let alone engage in ballot harvesting for them.

[GaryCrow]

What really needs to be done is to get rid of mail in voting. Our elections will never be secure with it, the opportunities for fraud are endless and history has proven that democrats will exploit any opportunity they can find.

[alancarp]

I’d hate to join this practice, but if nothing else, it would give the Dems some motivation to ban the ploy if the GOP manages to beat them at their own game. Until then... we’re gonna lose more and more races.

[butlerweave]

and the Democrats will want it banned but still do it ,LOL

[Poison Pill]

.

[Republican Wildcat]

Yes. If it is going to be legal in some places we must use the infrastructure that is in place...however much more difficult for us it is given the voters are more spaced out than the Dems’ base in compact urban areas.

And as long as there is early voting, etc...don’t encourage “every” voter to show up only on election day. This provides aero ability to track who has and who has not voted in order to make additional contacts to get people to the polls - giving the Democrats an enormous advantage. Plus, not every person who plans to vote on election day will be able to make it - some will simply forget, others will have family emergencies, illness, run out of time, etc. That may be a very small percentage but in a close race can make up all of the difference.

[Pajamajan]

bttt

[FlingWingFlyer]

If they ever intend to win another election, they better start. And they need to start printing lots of already completed mail in ballots. The Dung beetles have one hell of a jump on them when it comes to stealing elections.

[CurlyDave]

We must become the best ballot harvesters in the history of the world every place it is legal.

I hate that it is legal and think it is wrong, but that sentiment will not win a single election.

[MayflowerMadam]

Yes. It’s been proven that nice guys finish last. Harvest out in the open if it’s legal in a state, and go underground if it isn’t. IOW, do what the RATs do.

[TomGuy]

If Pubbies are ever going to win, they need to emulate the Dems’ ballot collecting practices.

The Dems strategy of — count until you win — has worked wonders.

How many times has a Republican presidential nominee attained 120% of the votes in a precinct?

[1Old Pro]

I’d prefer they simply start with putting conservatives on the R line.

[Reily]

The only problem with doing it underground it a Rat state\jurisdiction is that GOP’ers\conservatives will be prosecuted, and the Rats won’t! It’s not a defense to say - You didn’t do it to that guy!

The way to success is to hold state legislatures and local authorities at election time accountable for not or selectively enforcing election laws.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Interesting question. In that vein, should firefighters use fire breaks to fight wildfires? Oh, wait. They already do.

So, yeah. The GOP needs to fight fire with fire or risk being swept into history's dustbin.