Rep Gabbard & Davis introduce bill to eliminate ballot harvesting

[Migrant Crime]

https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1307067070283218952

Ballot harvesting undermines confidence in our democracy and is ripe for abuse.  Tulsi Gabbard is calling for federal funding to be witheld from states that do not ban the practice.  Thank you, Queen Tulsi!  Its more important than ever that Americans have confidence in our election system.

[DrScholl]

This trifling cluck being out of Congress next is best everybody.

[Horus]

She's really letting those true colors show now.

[Migrant Crime]

She's really letting those true colors show now.

Yes, she doesn't want special interest groups involved in the process of voting.  Its refreshing to see that bipartisanism still exists.

There will be no faith in the results of our elections with ballot harvesting.

[Landslide Lyndon]

A parting shot before she takes her rightful place as Fox News token Democrat.

[Suburbia]

She's really letting those true colors show now.

Yes, she doesn't want special interest groups involved in the process of voting.  Its refreshing to see that bipartisanism still exists.

There will be no faith in the results of our elections with ballot harvesting.

[GP270watch]

Gabbard is one of the worst, good riddance.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Gabbard is totally correct here

[Fuzzy Bear]

Gabbard is totally correct here

[Coolface Sock #42069]

Gabbard is totally correct here

[25 Abril/Aprile Sempre!]

I am still trying to understand what the hell "ballot harvesting" means, you know.

[GP270watch]

I am still trying to understand what the hell "ballot harvesting" means, you know.

 Ballot harvesting is when you hand somebody your ballot to turn it in. Republicans used it to cheat in elections in North Carolina by tampering with people's ballots. Democrats mostly use it to get older Latino voters to give their ballots to young people who they trust in their community who then turn it in. Republcians really want to get rid of it because the idea of a community getting together to leverage their vote terrifies them. Instead of going after people who cheat the process the want to get rid of an option people use for voting.

[DrScholl]

The only evidence of fraud involving this is in North Carolina. Republicans in California blame fraud for falling behind after days of counting and blame ballot harvesting for this, but there is no evidence to support that, yet Gabbard is seemingly making that claim.

[7,052,770]

She may be right and may be wrong depending on the specifics of her proposal. This is a little outside my wheelhouse, but there's no doubt Republicans want to make it as hard as possible for Democrats to vote while still doing anything they can to make sure that Republican ballots who don't meet their standards still get to count.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Gabbard is totally correct here

[Anni di ghiaccio]

LOL, I'd be amazed if any of the blue avs empty quoting each other here could actually articulate why this is an issue.

[politicallefty]

This is a made-up controversy created by Fox News. It's ridiculous.

I've legit given my sealed ballot to family/friends who were going to the post office so they could mail it off for me. That's somehow wrong? I don't usually have stamps around or anything like that. I think postage is paid for now, at least it was for me in the primary. But I know not every state pays for postage for return envelopes. It's not a matter of cost, but rather one of convenience. The blue avatars are quick to jump at proposed legislation like this (which fortunately, Speaker Pelosi will never let see the light of day), but I don't see anyone advocating for free postage for returning ballots. It's just another step to make voting more cumbersome and difficult.

[25 Abril/Aprile Sempre!]

I am still trying to understand what the hell "ballot harvesting" means, you know.

 Ballot harvesting is when you hand somebody your ballot to turn it in. Republicans used it to cheat in elections in North Carolina by tampering with people's ballots. Democrats mostly use it to get older Latino voters to give their ballots to young people who they trust in their community who then turn it in. Republcians really want to get rid of it because the idea of a community getting together to leverage their vote terrifies them. Instead of going after people who cheat the process the want to get rid of an option people use for voting.

Actually it does not sound like a good thing to me, but I reckon American elections have bigger problems.

[Former President tack50]

I am still trying to understand what the hell "ballot harvesting" means, you know.

 Ballot harvesting is when you hand somebody your ballot to turn it in. Republicans used it to cheat in elections in North Carolina by tampering with people's ballots. Democrats mostly use it to get older Latino voters to give their ballots to young people who they trust in their community who then turn it in. Republcians really want to get rid of it because the idea of a community getting together to leverage their vote terrifies them. Instead of going after people who cheat the process the want to get rid of an option people use for voting.

Ballot harvesting seem like a horrible idea to me? How would you verify a voter's real identity? How would you make sure that the vote inserted is really waht the person wanted?

There seem to be tons of problems with that model.

Unless I am misunderstanding something, having some person run around a neighbourhood collecting votes, trusting them to "keep them safe" and correctly delivering them to a polling station sounds like an easy way to have problems.

Then again I do believe that the only "safe" way to vote is with paper ballots, in person, counted manually. (like UK elections for example). But that has to be one of the worst systems to vote designed, almost on par with online voting.

[Intell]

She's right here, people's partisanships are showing here.

[Anni di ghiaccio]

I am still trying to understand what the hell "ballot harvesting" means, you know.

 Ballot harvesting is when you hand somebody your ballot to turn it in. Republicans used it to cheat in elections in North Carolina by tampering with people's ballots. Democrats mostly use it to get older Latino voters to give their ballots to young people who they trust in their community who then turn it in. Republcians really want to get rid of it because the idea of a community getting together to leverage their vote terrifies them. Instead of going after people who cheat the process the want to get rid of an option people use for voting.

Ballot harvesting seem like a horrible idea to me? How would you verify a voter's real identity? How would you make sure that the vote inserted is really waht the person wanted?

There seem to be tons of problems with that model.

Unless I am misunderstanding something, having some person run around a neighbourhood collecting votes, trusting them to "keep them safe" and correctly delivering them to a polling station sounds like an easy way to have problems.

Then again I do believe that the only "safe" way to vote is with paper ballots, in person, counted manually. (like UK elections for example). But that has to be one of the worst systems to vote designed, almost on par with online voting.

Once the ballot is sealed and signed the poll workers should be able to match the signature to the one associated with the voter, that's not a big problem. It's really no different than sending it through the mail, and it's also not an especially common practice. See my post above, I got crickets as a response.

This bill is designed for one purpose only: to help sow distrust in the entire VBM process and delegitimize a Trump loss.

[Former President tack50]

I am still trying to understand what the hell "ballot harvesting" means, you know.

 Ballot harvesting is when you hand somebody your ballot to turn it in. Republicans used it to cheat in elections in North Carolina by tampering with people's ballots. Democrats mostly use it to get older Latino voters to give their ballots to young people who they trust in their community who then turn it in. Republcians really want to get rid of it because the idea of a community getting together to leverage their vote terrifies them. Instead of going after people who cheat the process the want to get rid of an option people use for voting.

Ballot harvesting seem like a horrible idea to me? How would you verify a voter's real identity? How would you make sure that the vote inserted is really waht the person wanted?

There seem to be tons of problems with that model.

Unless I am misunderstanding something, having some person run around a neighbourhood collecting votes, trusting them to "keep them safe" and correctly delivering them to a polling station sounds like an easy way to have problems.

Then again I do believe that the only "safe" way to vote is with paper ballots, in person, counted manually. (like UK elections for example). But that has to be one of the worst systems to vote designed, almost on par with online voting.

Once the ballot is sealed and signed the poll workers should be able to match the signature to the one associated with the voter, that's not a big problem. It's really no different than sending it through the mail, and it's also not an especially common practice. See my post above, I got crickets as a response.

This bill is designed for one purpose only: to help sow distrust in the entire VBM process and delegitimize a Trump loss.

Oh I actually do think vote by mail is fine for the most part. You should go to an actual post office to send the ballot instead of just dropping it off at a mailbox but vote by mail is perfectly ok in my opinion.

My issue with ballot harvesting would be an scenario where, for example someone goes through an old people's retirment home, with old people who let's say, are no longer in a sharp state of mind to put it some way, and votes on their behalf with the old people not really knowing what is happening. These old people would have their vote taken away from them with them not really knowing what is happening.

(Ironically such an scenario would probably benefit Republicans and not Democrats)

Glad to see it is an uncommon practice, though it's still one I think is bad.

As an aside question, wouldn't this be a state by state issue and not a federal one? If this (presumably) is a Republican initiative, why haven't republican controlled states banned ballot harvesting? (or have they already done it?)

[Suburbia]

Only American citizens should vote.

Not non-citizens.

Period.

[Joe Kakistocracy]

Only American citizens should vote.

Not non-citizens.

Period.

Not sure what that has to do with anything being discussed here, but thanks for the input.

[jaymichaud]

It's a sh**tty practice anyways.