California officials issued a cease-and-desist order to the California Republican Party on Monday after GOP officials acknowledged the setting up of unofficial ballot boxes that state election officials called illegal .
State election officials said they have received reports of the boxes in Fresno, Los Angeles and Orange counties. Officials in Ventura County also said they received reports of unauthorized ballot boxes.
“Deceiving voters is a mistake no matter who does it,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said at a Monday afternoon press conference with Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Padilla said that while candidates and parties can engage in exit-voting efforts, they “cannot violate state law.”
Padilla said some of the unauthorized drop boxes had deceptive markings and did not follow state election security rules.
Becerra said he was hearing “disturbing” reports that those who had placed the illegal boxes were unwilling to remove them. He urged Californians to report any suspicious activity around the polls.
“Spoofing the vote is illegal, and anyone who knowingly engages in the falsification or misuse of the vote is liable to prosecution,” Becerra said.
The cease-and-desist order gave the GOP until Thursday to remove all boxes. Padilla said legal options will be considered if they don’t comply, Padilla said.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, in May, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an order requiring election officials in each county to send mail ballots for the November 3 general election to all registered voters. In-person voting opportunities will also be available, although the number of polling stations has been reduced compared to previous years.
Padilla issued a note on Sunday informing county clerks that unofficial ballot boxes were illegal and that ballots had to be mailed or brought to official polling stations or official ballot boxes. “In short, providing unauthorized and unofficial ballot boxes for postal voting is prohibited by state law,” the memo reads.
GOP government spokesman Hector Barajas admitted that the party owned some of the boxes. He declined to comment on how many exist and where they are. Barajas said state law governing the so-called harvesting of ballots allows an organization to collect and return groups of ballots.
“Democrats only seem to oppose the ballot harvest when someone else does,” Barajas said.
In response to the GOP defending its actions, Padilla said it “misleads voters and erodes public trust”. He said it was too early to tell how many unauthorized boxes there were.
Democrats have lambasted the use of the unofficial ballot boxes and said they fear Republicans could use them to collect and dispose of the ballots.
The practice of collecting ballots involves people helping to deliver the ballots for other voters. It’s allowed in California under certain rules, and Democrats have offered to hand out ballots to people who request them, said Shery Yang Wonnacott, spokesperson for the state’s Democratic Party. The party is concerned that the GOP is using boxes that appear to masquerade as official collection sites, she said.
Padilla said ballot collection rules require the person assisting the voter to sign the voter ballot envelope.
Becerra cautioned voters who knowingly use unauthorized drop boxes not to do so.
FIND AN OFFICIAL DROP BOX: Visit https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/ for more information.
Controversy surfaced after an Orange County State GOP regional director posed in a social media photo with one of the unofficial boxes and wearing a face covering Michelle Steel’s congressional campaign , a county supervisor who challenges Democratic Representative Harley. Rouda for his seat.
There have also been reports of similar boxes at a church in the Los Angeles County community of Castaic and various locations in Fresno County and Ventura County.
In Orange County, District Attorney Todd Spitzer is investigating at least two unofficial lodges in two different cities, said Kimberly Edds, spokesperson for the district attorney’s office.
Neal Kelley, the county registrar of electors, said official drop boxes are clearly recognizable and bear the official county elections logo. He said it was not clear how many voters used unofficial boxes, but after receiving reports about them, he informed the state and district attorney’s office.
“It looks like maybe half a dozen, but I don’t know for sure,” Kelley told City News Service of the number of boxes recovered. “We had one at Seal Beach
it was a cardboard box. ”
Kelley added, “The good news is we got the word out and there was a quick response to it all.”
Fresno County election officials advised voters to use only official county drop boxes designed to meet state safety standards.
“Fresno County has more than doubled the number of drop boxes required by the state. We have a total of 66 official drop boxes (32 mandatory) spread across the county, ”Fresno County Clerk / Registrar of Electors said by email, Brandi Orth. . “We strongly recommend that voters use an official ballot box to return their ballots. Ballots are picked up daily by identifiable election officials in official vehicles.”
Orth’s office did not respond directly to questions about what would happen to ballots already collected in unauthorized locations.
Republicans in Fresno County have said they will remove boxes that had been placed at party headquarters, a gas station and gun stores, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The ballots will be turned over to county election officials, which has always been the plan, said Fred Vanderhoof, chairman of the Fresno Republican Party.
A couple stopped by the Svensk Butik gift shop in Kingsburg, a small town in southern Fresno County, on Monday to cast their ballots and were refused because the shop ran out of ballot boxes. Neither they nor the owner of the Swedish gift shop in conservative San Joaquin Valley in California would officially talk about it.
In the conservative Ventura County community of Simi Valley, both city and county election officials said they had received reports of two unofficial ballot boxes.
Social media users spotted what appeared to be an unofficial urn at St. Rose Catholic Church in Lima and at another site at 2910 Cochran Street, which is the Republican headquarters of Simi Valley.
On Monday at 3:15 p.m., the site had no ballot box. Headquarters officials refused to answer questions, saying they had been told to refer all these questions to the State party.
Miranda Nobriga, spokesperson for the Ventura County Election Division, said her agency was sending staff to inspect the reported locations.
Simi Valley City Deputy Director Samantha Argabrite said as a result of the information the city posted on social media a reminder that there were only five official ballot boxes in the community and only cast their ballots at these locations. Residents were also asked to declare any other boxes.
Argabrite also said the city was planning to send out a press release indicating where voters could vote. To find an official ballot box location near you, visit https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/
California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks criticized the placement of unofficial ballot boxes.
“Sadly, it’s the same with the Republican Party – well versed at making voting harder, not easier for Californians,” he said in a statement.
The note from Padilla’s office to county election officials noted that the state has extensive requirements for the design, use, and security of postal ballot boxes, including:
- Boxes should be made of a durable material Capable of withstanding vandalism, removal and weathering and specific design and operational requirements.
- Managed and unmanned drop boxes must have an opening slot that is not large enough to allow ballots to be tampered with or deleted.
- Drop boxes must have a secure voting container placed in the drop box this would provide physical evidence if unauthorized access has taken place.
- Each drop box must use a unique identification number which is easily identifiable by designated county ballot collectors.
- Each ballot box must be clearly and visibly marked as an “official ballot box” and include all required information in various languages required by federal and state law.
- Postal ballot boxes must meet accessibility requirements.
Voters can track their California ballot from the time it is mailed to the time it is received. Visit https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/
Also contributing to this report: Associated Press, City News Service and Ventura County Star reporter Mike Harris.
