Ballot harvesting is real.
Proposed law would make it a felony for third parties to collect, return multiple ballots to officials.
BOISE — A proposed law making it a felony in Idaho for a third party to collect and return multiple ballots to election officials headed to the full House on Tuesday.
The House State Affairs Committee approved the measure involving “ballot harvesting” that has become a partisan flashpoint across the nation.
More than half of states allow a third party to collect ballots, and political groups and campaigns from both parties have run ballot-collection programs aimed at boosting turnout and ensuring voters who are older, homebound, disabled or live far from U.S. postal services can get their ballot returned.
But questions about the practice intensified leading up to and following the general election in November when many more absentee ballots were cast because of the coronavirus pandemic, including in Idaho. Former President Donald Trump made unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud involving absentee ballots that were rejected by courts.
However, backers say the potential exists in Idaho and point to North Carolina in 2018, where ballot harvesting resulted in a congressional election being overturned.
The proposed law limits who can handle more than two ballots at a time to election officials, U.S. postal service workers and parcel delivery services. A family member would be allowed to deliver no more than two ballots.
“While it may not be a problem in Idaho today, I think we need to fix it before it does become a problem,” said the bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Mike Moyle, the majority leader in the House. “We need to make sure it doesn’t happen here.”