On Ballot Harvesting, GOP May Have to Push Back

When Democrats across the country recently condemned the “ballot harvesting” election fraud on display in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District, Republicans who have spent years fighting the practice found themselves saying “I told you so.”

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez praised the North Carolina election board’s decision last week to throw out the results that delivered a win for Republican Mark Harris and mandate an election do-over to determine the true winner.

“Calling for a new election in #NC09 was the right decision,” Perez tweeted. “Americans shouldn’t have to wonder if their votes will be counted. We need to fight like hell to make sure this doesn’t happen again in #NC09 or anywhere else in our country.”

Republicans were less-than-impressed by Perez’s condemnation of ballot-harvesting fraud. That’s because ballot harvesting is illegal in North Carolina only because the GOP-controlled legislature outlawed it. Only close relatives or legal guardians can submit a ballot on behalf of a voter; all others risk being charged with a felony.

Most Republican efforts to address voter fraud focus on laws requiring in-person voting and photo IDs. Such voter-verification policies for years have spurred charges of racism from Democrats, who maintain that they are designed to suppress  the vote of minorities.