California Republicans Place Suspicious Ballot Drop-Off Boxes Around State, Trying to Make Your Vote Disappear

File this story under “not cool” and “never learn.”

California Republicans have admitted to placing over 50 falsely labeled “official” ballot boxes across three counties in the state. The gray metal boxes have appeared in primarily conservative areas of the heavily Democratic Golden State, such as nearby churches or gun shops. Deceptively dubbed “Official Ballot Drop-Off Box” or “Ballot Drop Box,” these receptacles are eerily similar to real drop-off boxes, which were created to prevent the exact kind of voter fraud currently occurring.

California government officials sent a cease-and-desist to Californian Republican parties and ordered them to remove the fake drop-off boxes, which are not permitted per state law. But while Republicans love imposing laws upon people, they frequently consider themselves exceptions to it, and this case is no different.

According to the New York Times, “Hector Barajas, a spokesman for the California Republican Party, said the party would continue to distribute the boxes, without adding any label identifying them explicitly as Republican ballot drops.”

The Republican party continued to gaslight reporters – and the American people – by claiming that Republicans purchased around 100 of the boxes with the goal of increasing voter turnout…which seems suspicious given that Democrats are casting the majority of mail-in ballots this year and that these boxes are potentially a black hole for those votes.

“There is nothing in any of the laws or regulations cited in that advisory that indicate private organization drop boxes are not permitted,” Barajas said. “The way Democrats wrote the law, if we wanted to use a Santa bag, we could. A locked heavy box seems a lot safer.”

We hate to break it to you, Hector, but Santa isn’t real and President Trump lost the popular vote in 2016. But you already knew that. You’re just looking for a legal loophole to worm through.

“Misleading voters is wrong regardless of who is doing it,” said California’s secretary of state, Alex Padilla.

Yes, but so long as a member of your party occupies the White House, there are no consequences…unless Americans turn out in droves this year to vote, which you should. Take your friends with you. (Not the Republican ones, though. Leave them at home.)

If you vote by mail, your state hopefully has a vote tracker where you can ensure your ballot was received and counted. If it doesn’t, consider voting in person on Nov. 3 – just wear a mask and abide by social distancing guidelines when you do.

And when you vote, vote for candidates who want to make voting easier and less complicated, not make votes disappear like dime-store magicians.

Photo: AaronP/Bauer-Griffin / Contributor (Getty Images)

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