Trump urges GOP to vote early, endorses ballot harvesting at Iowa town hall.
Former president Donald Trump is rallying his supporters for the upcoming 2024 elections, urging them to participate in early voting and engage in “legal” ballot harvesting. In a town hall meeting with Fox News’s Sean Hannity in Iowa, Trump discussed the controversial practice of ballot harvesting, where political agents collect absentee ballots from voters’ homes and deposit them en masse at polling stations or election offices.
During the conversation, Hannity highlighted the Republicans’ reluctance towards early voting, mail-in voting, and legal ballot harvesting, which Democrats have successfully utilized. He asked Trump if he now encourages and embraces these practices. Trump responded affirmatively, expressing concerns about the creation of phony ballots.
Trump also criticized mail ballots, claiming they are prone to getting lost. He emphasized the need for secure and reliable voting methods.
While Republicans have traditionally been skeptical of ballot harvesting, they are increasingly recognizing it as a legitimate election strategy to gain more votes. However, there is still apprehension within the GOP about implementing the strategy on a large scale, as the rules surrounding it vary between states.
One significant event that brought ballot harvesting into the public eye was conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza’s documentary ”2000 Mules.” The film exposed individuals allegedly hired by nonprofits to collect and deposit ballots illegally in drop boxes during the 2020 presidential election. The documentary used cellphone location data and video surveillance to track these individuals, raising suspicions about the integrity of the process.
Ballot Harvesting Numbers
A Pew Research study from November 2020 revealed that 46 percent of voters cast their votes through mail-in or absentee ballots in the 2020 presidential election. This highlights the significant influence of ballot harvesting on election results. While 32 percent of Trump supporters used absentee or mail-in ballots, a much higher percentage of Joe Biden’s supporters, 58 percent, utilized these methods.
Voting ballots move forward in the audit process at the Orange County Registrars office in Santa Ana, Calif., on June 9, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
In an opinion piece in The Hill, Harvard University professor Paul E. Peterson points out that rules like ballot harvesting align with the Democratic Party’s agenda. He highlights the shift in voting methods, with fewer people casting their ballots in person on Election Day. Additionally, he mentions the relaxation of mail-in and registration procedures in several states, as well as the granting of voting rights to convicted felons in some states.
According to polling data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, 69 percent of voters in the 2020 presidential race voted either by mail or early, marking the highest rate of nontraditional voting for a presidential election. This demonstrates the increasing popularity of mail-in ballots compared to previous elections.
GOP Embraces Ballot Harvesting
Despite previous skepticism, the GOP is now embracing ballot harvesting as a viable election strategy. As they witness its effectiveness, Republicans are beginning to recognize its potential to secure more votes. However, there is still ongoing debate within the party about the extent to which this strategy should be deployed.
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