By Nancy Thorner & Bonnie O'Neil -
California is the most populous state in our nation, arguably because it is a large state, but it is undeniably beautiful as well, with majestic mountains, the magnificent Pacific Ocean coast, and lush valleys that produce an abundance of fruit and vegetables. No matter what type of weather one prefers, California has it in one county or another. But perhaps the most important reason American citizens should be interested, if not concerned, about California is because it also has become the epic center of societal and political change, which is then often copied by our other states.
As to political unrest, a few years ago there was a strong effort by some California counties to succeed from the state and form their own state. There have also been serious efforts to split the State into three different States, because there is such a diversity of needs from counties that border Mexico and those that border Oregon. A year ago there was a strong effort to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom. Many California citizens believed he was unwilling to be fair and/or as concerned about some counties as he was of others.
California as a left-leaning, progressive state
It is well known that specific states tend to always vote for a specific party. In California Democrats largely dominate their media sources and influence how they vote. Perhaps this should be expected, but it is not expedient for our citizens.
Democrats also dominate with the number of registered voters. In the November 6, 2018 general election, 43.5% were Democrats, 24.0% were Republicans, and 5.0% were affiliated with other political parties.
One might conclude from those stats that the Democrat candidate would always win over the Republican, but this is not always so. Some attribute this to the fact political parties change but voters do not. One example is the abortion issue. Democrat candidates tend to support the abortion law giving women the right to abort a pregnancy, while Republican candidates tend to want stronger abortion restrictions.
California's Democratic domination in Sacramento is also abetted with help from the California Teacher Unions, other influential Unions, a few major financial donors who choose to remain anonymous to the public, along with high level businessmen and corporations who are exceedingly interested in the State’s political affairs for business purposes. They are often best friends to specific elected officials, making it highly unlikely those in positions of power in California pay much attention to their constituents. These officials are polite and will listen to those who vote for them, but they pay far more attention to big donors and anyone in a position to help their election. Few citizens pay attention to this important factor, largely because they haven’t the time to investigate if the candidate kept promises once in a position of power.
California's ballot harvesting law
California is host to many problems, especially one that has to do with the election process. In 2016 Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a change to Section 3017 of the Election Code that allows any person to collect a mail-in ballot from voters to turn in the mail ballot to a polling place or the registrar’s office. Prior law restricted the practice to just relatives of or those living in the same household as the voter.
Although there are those who deny after every election that voter fraud should be an issue of concern, after the 2018 election the Heritage Foundation decided to do some research on the issue and developed an "election fraud database"
Heritage's efforts provided 1,132 proven instances of election fraud, including 983 that ended in a criminal conviction, 48 that led to civil penalties and 79 in which defendants were enrolled in a diversion program. 22 cases proved official or judicial findings of fraud. This should be absolutely unacceptable to every American, but the media and even those in positions of authority seem to downplay the issue more than they seek to expose and prosecute offenders. This apparent lack of attention to the problem and/or any significant consequences for those found guilty, encourages the problems to increase every election period.
What the Heritage Foundation uncovered is most likely just the tip of America’s election fraud iceberg. The Heritage database is not comprehensive, so the actual volume of voter fraud is likely far higher. Exactly how much higher is anybody’s guess. Furthermore, many states lack the robust procedures needed to detect and prevent fraud, and many prosecutors opt not to pursue election fraud cases in favor of other priorities once an election is over.
Methodology of ballot harvesting
The original purpose of the “harvesting of ballots” law was to help those in hospitals, nursing homes, or anyone unable to complete and send their ballot to the County Voter Registrar. There was, however, always the concern that these people could easily be persuaded by those around them to vote in a specific way.
Consider how easy it is for someone close to a handicapped or elderly person to “help” them mark their ballot. If a patient has serious health issues or dementia, they are not capable to make decisions that require research.
Consider also how easy it would be to “gather ballots” from neighbors and rest homes and simply throw away those that are registered to a Party opposite of your own? There would be no way to detect the violation.
It would also be easy to go door to door into specific neighborhoods, claim you are a neighbor a few blocks away, and sweetly offer to help elderly or young busy moms fill out their ballots and/or take them to the Registrar’s office?
Even people we trust, such as a good neighbor, friends, and/or relatives can be tempted to throw your ballot away if it is filled out in direct opposition to their ballot choices.
There are no limits regarding the number of ballots any one person is permitted to “gather." Neither is there a viable system in place to check or detect whether all “harvested” ballots were filled out by the correct person or if the “gathered” ballots were turned in to the Registrar at all.
How many times have we heard about missing bags of ballots or dozens of bags of ballots that appear without any indication of who or where they came from? Some states have had large bags of ballots dropped off at the Registrar’s office close to the deadline of being acceptable, without any indication of who gathered them. The Registrar is required to accept all ballots, even if fraud is suspected, because ballots must be proven to be illegal in order to be eliminated.
Ballot harvesting in Orange County, CA
Prior to the legalization of “Ballot Harvesting” in California, Orange County was comprised mostly of Republicans and was considered a Republican stronghold in the state. After the “harvesting law” was enacted this previously Republican county went from red to blue. Long time politicians who were well respected lost their position to Democrats, some of whom had never held a political position. With a lack of fervor to detect fraudulent voting in CA, it is easy to believe those with a strong reason for a specific candidate will harvest ballots when the risk of detection is so minimal.
Popular elected Republican candidates in California saw their advantage shrink, and then disappear, as late-arriving Democrat votes were counted in the weeks following the election In Orange County. Many Republicans were shocked when every House seat went to a Democrat after an unprecedented “250,000” vote-by-mail drop-offs were counted.
As Neal Kelley, Voter Registrar in Orange County at the time told Fox News, “Anecdotally there was a lot of evidence that ballot harvesting was going on. People were carrying in stacks of 100 and 200 of them. We had had multiple people calling to ask if these people were allowed to do this."
As outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan told the Washington Post at the time, “We were only down 26 seats (nationally) the night of the election and three weeks later, we lost basically every California race. Point being, when you have candidates that win the absentee ballot vote, win the day of the vote, and then lose three weeks later because of provisionals, that’s really bizarre.”
Orange County has introduced a new plan they believe will better serve constituents. Voting centers will be established throughout the County. Hart InterCivic System and their technology will be used, and it is believed the system will be easier for voters and more reliable than the past methods. Hopefully this action will help curtail the ballot harvesting that took place in the 2018 mid-term elections.
Thinking ahead to 2020
It is not too early to think about the 2020 national presidential election and how media sources and surveys of citizens are not always accurate. While every American citizen has the right to vote, there are some to whom this privilege is legally denied. The problem is that all states are not consistent in requirements. It is therefore important for every first-time voter to check the rules and requirements before submitting a ballot.
Many Americans believe the upcoming presidential election in 2020 will determine the future of this nation; whether we will remain a Constitutional Republic or drift toward Socialism and abandon our U.S. Constitution.
Republican efforts to address voter fraud focus on laws requiring in-person voting and photo IDs, while Democrats generally support efforts to expand mail-in voting and to legalize ballot harvesting. Democrats have long argued that elections where mail-in ballots are heavily used usually go off without a hitch, at least for Democrats!
Patriots at all levels of government must be aware that ballot harvesting apparently offers opportunities for those lacking integrity to cheat in order to win elections. Many Republicans believe Democrats engaged in ballot harvesting in other states besides CA in the 2018 mid-terms, as in Florida and Arizona.
The Presidential Election of 2020 will decide which party has the most incentive to encourage their friends, neighbors, and relatives to vote? Winning is exceedingly important in the next election for both parties.
Voter fraud will become less of a problem in November of 2020 if large numbers of patriots vote who understand what awaits this nation if Democrat-Socialists should manage to keep the House and take the Senate.
Also, what is your Voter Registrar doing to prevent illegal voting?
It is important to express your political views to those within your sphere of influence. We all must do whatever is legally permissible and physically possible to elect those whom we trust to positions of authority. Our nation will continue to prosper so long as patriots are willing to help elect the best and brightest; the most honest and trustworthy to govern us.
