California's late votes broke big for Democrats. Here's why GOP was surprised

[Mr. Sparkle]

California Democrats took advantage of seemingly minor changes in a 2016 law to score their stunningly successful midterm election results, providing a target for GOP unhappiness that is tinged with a bit of admiration.

Some Republicans have cast a skeptical eye on Democrats’ use of “ballot harvesting” to boost their support. The idea’s backers say it’s just one of several steps California has taken to enable more people to vote.

Few people noticed when Gov. Jerry Brown signed the changes in AB1921 into law two years ago. In the past, California allowed only relatives or people living in the same household to drop off mail ballots for another voter. The new law allowed anyone, even a paid political campaign worker, to collect and return ballots — “harvesting” them, in political slang.

The change was strictly a public service, said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, author of the bill. The old rules, she said, “simply provide yet another obstacle for individuals attempting to vote.”

Republicans didn’t agree, and the measure passed the Legislature on a largely party-line vote.

They felt the hit on Nov. 6 — and in the days after, as late-arriving Democratic votes were tabulated and one Republican candidate after another saw leads shrink and then evaporate. This week, a seventh GOP-held congressional seat flipped to the Democrats, leaving Republicans controlling a mere seven of California’s 53 House districts.

In Orange County alone, where every House seat went Democratic, “the number of Election Day vote-by-mail dropoffs was unprecedented — over 250,000,” Fred Whitaker, chairman of the county Republican Party, said in a note to supporters. “This is a direct result of ballot harvesting allowed under California law for the first time. That directly caused the switch from being ahead on election night to losing two weeks later.”

Some national Republicans expressed befuddlement with what was happening to their party in California. In an interview with the Washington Post, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin called California’s election system “really bizarre” and said he couldn’t even begin to understand what ballot harvesting is.

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https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/California-s-late-votes-broke-big-for-13432727.php

[woodsprite]

1. Ryan is a little shit and playing a tune on his tiny violin. It's another case of IOKIYAR.

They would embrace it with open arms if they thought it could work in their favor.

[RockRaven]

2. By GOP logic, a family-less person living alone shouldn't be allowed to have their vote counted

unless they can deliver it themselves on election day (or get it in the mail sufficiently far ahead of election day). Why exactly should these people be disenfranchised? Because they are family-less? Because they live alone? But people with families or housemates can? I don't remember those things being mentioned in the Constitution. Equal protection anybody?


As for the record number of election day drop-offs, I cannot speak for Orange County but this year for the first time my county sent ALL registered voters mail-in ballots (as opposed to the previous way -- just people who had requested absentee ballots). That could lead to "unprecedented" election day drop-offs. Also, just an increase in voter turnout percentage could also lead to "unprecedented" election day drop-offs. How many new voters registered in OC the past 2 years and what was voter turnout in OC?

[stuffmatters]

3. I've been admiring Ca Assembly's Lorena Gonzalez(D-San Diego) a lot lately.

Last edited Sat Dec 1, 2018, 04:36 AM - Edit history (1)

She's turning into a progressive powerhouse in Sacramento...sees a problem and jumps right in with a solution, gets it done.

[ROB-ROX]

4. RURAL CALIFORNIA IS STILL RED

I thought that nationally that republicans were decreasing until I saw the election results. I guess this means the middle of the country has a high percentage of uneducated people who still vote "R." In California, I still have the same old "R" congressman who was given $400,000 by drug companies and this part of California does not have any drug companies. I think in 20 years my area will be blue because there are more democrats moving into the rural enclaves of the minority "R" domain......