On Monday, the Idaho state House passed a bill prohibiting ballot harvesting in an effort to ensure election integrity.
The bill, introduced and carried in the House by Majority Leader Rep. Mike Moyle, R-Star, adds to existing law by amending state code to illegalize collecting another person’s mail-in ballot and delivering it for them. The bill’s text contains exceptions for postal service workers, contractors of parcel delivery businesses, and members of the same household, but does not provide exceptions for health care workers or caretakers of disabled individuals.
Delivering 10 or more ballots to a post office on behalf of others would be a felony under the measure. Delivering fewer than 10 would be a misdemeanor.
Ballot harvesting, also known as third-party ballot return, is defined as the practice of individuals delivering another person’s mail-in ballot to polling locations or post offices, according to the Lawyers Democracy Fund, a non-partisan 501(c)(4) organization. While the trend is concerning to some for its lack of administrative oversight, its advocates contend it improves election participation and benefits individuals with health issues or disabilities.
“Make it easy for people to vote, but make it hard for them to cheat,” Moyle said. “We’re trying to find that balance where we protect the integrity of the ballot, keep it secure, and keep it easy.”
It is a misdemeanor to violate the bill’s terms, but it is a felony to do so when being paid to collect or deliver more than 10 ballots. Furthermore, if the bill passes the Senate and is signed into law by Governor Brad Little, the measure’s wording includes an emergency clause that would make the change effective immediately.
It passed in the House by a margin of 53 in favor and 15 opposed, with exclusively Republican members voting in support of the measure. Two Republican members joined their Democratic Party colleagues in opposing the bill’s passage.
Democrats in the state said they are opposed to the measure.
House Minority Leader Rep. Ilana Rubel, a Democrat, said, according to local media reports, “I don’t think we should be making crimes out of things that aren’t bad. In fact, I don’t think we should be making good deeds into crimes,”
The fact that it could be misused, that’s not how we operate. We don’t ban all driving because it’s possible someone could drive drunk. We ban drunk driving. We ban bad behavior. We don’t ban good behavior simply because it’s conceivable somebody somewhere could do it badly,” she added.
But Moyle indicated that Democrats like Rubel mischaracterized the nature of his legislation.
“They’re wrong,” Moyle said. “This bill opens up the opportunity for a lot of help from your roommate to your family to an elected official. All kinds of options to get help if you need help with your ballot. The question is who do you want helping you? Do you want a family member or someone partisan to show up to vote for you or help you vote? That’s the issue.”
The bill will now be considered by the Idaho state Senate.
Sources: Thegatewaypundit, Apnews, Hindustantimes
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