Republicans have installed their own ballot boxes in California – VG

Three weeks before the US presidential election, there is a high demand for mail-in ballots. The country’s electoral system is under severe pressure as a result of the crown crisis and the desire of many Americans to avoid physically appearing on Election Day.

While President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that numerous mail-in ballots will lead to voter fraud, his Republican party has installed unofficial ballot boxes in churches, gun shops, and other locations throughout the state of California.

State Justice Minister Xavier Becerra has ordered the boxes to be removed and threatens that those who try to manipulate the election run the risk of prosecution.

But Republicans have responded that they will not follow the order, which they say is in line with California’s liberal election law. It gives everyone the opportunity to collect votes and present them to the electoral authorities.

Record number of votes by mail

So far, more than 10 million people have voted before the US presidential election. That’s several times more than at the same time before the last presidential election in 2016, according to the United States Elections Project at the University of Florida.

American voters have requested 75 million postal ballots, more than double the 33 million sent four years ago.

But now there are reports of problems that could weaken the credibility of elections in several states.

In addition to misprints, delays have been reported both in sending and submitting ballots. Errors in the handling of sent ballots are reported, as in the state of Pennsylvania where ballots ended up in the trash.

There have also been reports of people receiving not just one, but multiple ballots.

Manglet postmark

The horror stories of the nomination elections earlier this year, in which tens of thousands of voters either did not receive a ballot or got it too late to vote, raise concern. Then there were also thousands of ballots that were not stamped by the postal service, making it impossible to verify that they had been delivered on time.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that postal votes will lead to voter fraud and vowed to complain about the processing of ballots.

– Out of control. A tricky choice !!! He tweeted last week when it emerged that 50,000 Columbus, Ohio residents had been sent ballot papers with the wrong candidates.

But experts believe that the electoral process is currently going well and that the media is inflating the problems.

American Enterprise Institute analyst Kevin Kosar says bugs will appear along the way, but it’s good to catch them early.

– It’s 2020, and everyone is on the alert, says Amber McReynolds, executive director of the National Vote At Home Institute.

– Will everything be perfect all the time? No. It has never been a perfect election, he says, emphasizing that the electoral process works well in most places.

Fear of low capacity

McReynolds emphasizes that physical attendance has its problems, too, as in the state of Georgia, where long lines were reported Monday when polling stations opened for early voting.

– In fact, I think there are more problems with physical assistance, he says.

He fears trouble on Election Day itself, especially in the swing states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, which he believes have not set aside enough time to open, control and count millions of votes by mail.

Since many more Democrats than Republicans are expected to vote by mail, there is great uncertainty about how long it will take to declare a winner and whether the one who appears to have received the most votes on Election Day will be chosen. real winner.

Vulnerable

The fact that Republicans have begun installing their own filing boxes in select locations does not make the situation easier. They have also clearly notified that they will not follow the order to remove them.

Democrat Alex Padilla in state government emphasizes that only local election officials can set up official ballot boxes where people can come and cast their votes by mail. There are rules about how often they should be emptied.

Unofficial boxes are not regulated in the same way, which increases uncertainty.

In addition to the order to remove the boxes, the state justice minister has also asked the party to give state authorities the names, addresses and birthdays of all voters who have used the unofficial boxes.

As a result of the corona pandemic and fears of infection, California sent mail-in ballots for the first time to all registered voters – more than 21 million people. Ballot papers come with a postage-prepaid return envelope.