SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a bulletin to state law enforcement agencies, outlining laws relating to ballot drop-off boxes and third-party ballot collection, a practice known as "ballot harvesting."
This guidance comes as California’s mail-in ballot system is already in full swing with registered voters receiving their ballots by mail statewide.
Tahoe Park resident Deborah Lynn, who used one of these drop-off points at a grocery store on Stockton Boulevard, expressed confidence in the system.
“It’s safe and secure, and I know personally that I have dropped it,” Lynn said.
Ken Casparis, a spokesperson for Sacramento County, explained that the official boxes come with built-in security features, such as tamper-proof designs.
“There are tons of rules about how these are made,” Casparis said.
In California, state law allows voters to designate someone else to return their completed ballots, which is legally permissible under specific regulations.
In the 2020 election, some critics expressed concerns about potential fraud with third-party ballot collection, or “ballot harvesting.”
However, state officials emphasize that these practices are regulated to uphold election security.
Bonta's bulletin warns of legal consequences for anyone attempting to mislead voters into placing their ballots in unofficial containers. Penalties for such violations can include fines up to $1,000, up to three years of imprisonment, or both.
The state offers the BallotTrax service, where voters can follow their ballot’s progress through the system to confirm their vote is counted.
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