4 ms·

What's the argument for it?

by daenz 6y ago

TechBro8615 6y ago
I'm sure you can imagine the cynical answers to that. Non cynically, I guess the idea is it increases voter turnout? I say "guess" because I've just googled "pros of ballot harvesting," "arguments for ballot harvesting," and other varieties of the phrase, and have yet to find a real argument for it. And if the argument is increasing voter turnout, I'm not sure why it's necessary if the cost of voting is no more than dropping a ballot in your mailbox.
jimbob45 6y ago
From his link: "Arizona banned the practice except for family members and caregivers.". So I guess for those who can't make it to the mailbox?
wahern 6y ago
Dropping off your elderly parents' or neighbors' belated vote-by-mail ballot at your local polling site. Previously it was illegal to do something that simple, which with shelter-in-place has a pretty decent cost+benefit even if you disbelieve the evidence on voter fraud.
- sio8ohPi 6y ago
  If we're still talking about California, it was legal to drop off a family member's ballot prior to AB 1921. Is there a state that allows vote-by-mail and doesn't allow family members to drop off ballots?
panic 6y ago
The constitution guarantees a right to vote; laws against returning other people's ballots have been found unconsitutional on those grounds: https://apnews.com/d6b75b7a1c2da695d756cb4e864cd2b8 https://apnews.com/d6b75b7a1c2da695d756cb4e864cd2b8 (full opinion if you're curious: https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2020/01/27/18-15845.pdf https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2020/01/27/1...)
jedberg 6y ago
It allows the party to go to an old folks home and pick up all their ballots and drop it off for them, for example. Assuming good faith, that would be a service to those voters who can't otherwise get to a polling place.
- masonic 6y ago
  It allows them to pick up only those ballots of their party's registrants and return only them, leaving the others behind. Hence the law.

What's the argument for it?

by daenz 6y ago

What's the argument for it?

I'm sure you can imagine the cynical answers to that. Non cynically, I guess the idea is it increases voter turnout? I say "guess" because I've just googled "pros of ballot harvesting," "arguments for ballot harvesting," and other varieties of the phrase, and have yet to find a real argument for it. And if the argument is increasing voter turnout, I'm not sure why it's necessary if the cost of voting is no more than dropping a ballot in your mailbox.

jimbob45 6y ago

From his link: "Arizona banned the practice except for family members and caregivers.". So I guess for those who can't make it to the mailbox?

wahern 6y ago

Dropping off your elderly parents' or neighbors' belated vote-by-mail ballot at your local polling site. Previously it was illegal to do something that simple, which with shelter-in-place has a pretty decent cost+benefit even if you disbelieve the evidence on voter fraud.

sio8ohPi 6y ago
If we're still talking about California, it was legal to drop off a family member's ballot prior to AB 1921. Is there a state that allows vote-by-mail and doesn't allow family members to drop off ballots?

panic 6y ago

The constitution guarantees a right to vote; laws against returning other people's ballots have been found unconsitutional on those grounds: https://apnews.com/d6b75b7a1c2da695d756cb4e864cd2b8 https://apnews.com/d6b75b7a1c2da695d756cb4e864cd2b8 (full opinion if you're curious: https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2020/01/27/18-15845.pdf https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2020/01/27/1...)

jedberg 6y ago

It allows the party to go to an old folks home and pick up all their ballots and drop it off for them, for example. Assuming good faith, that would be a service to those voters who can't otherwise get to a polling place.

masonic 6y ago
It allows them to pick up only those ballots of their party's registrants and return only them, leaving the others behind. Hence the law.