Trump Has Turned ‘Ballot Harvesting’ Into A Rallying Cry Against Mail-In Voting—Here’s What It Is

Topline

As President Trump seeks to erode trust in mail-in voting, he has latched onto “ballot harvesting” — a loaded term that is essentially another way of saying “ballot collection” — as proof voting by mail is rife with fraud, though the process is legal in 26 states and the president actually utilized the maneuver himself earlier this year. 

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

Earlier this year, Trump called for the U.S. to “get rid of ballot harvesting” in a message on Twitter written in all caps:

 Surprising Fact

Despite Trump’s repeated criticism of the process, the president himself used a third party to vote by mail in Florida this year, which is technically an example of ballot harvesting. Earlier this month, Trump encouraged North Carolina voters to vote twice so they could “test” out the system, which is a felony. 

Key Background

In 2018, the North Carolina State Board of Elections threw out the results of a congressional election over an illegal form of ballot harvesting, after a Republican operative was charged with illegally collecting absentee ballots. It may have been the first example of election results being thrown out due to voter fraud in the U.S. However, as the Washington Post notes, in this case the GOP operative was charged with tampering and filling in absentee ballots, which is illegal under any circumstance. 

Tangent

Trump has repeatedly used his platform to tear down mail-in voting, a practice that is being utilized widely this year due to the pandemic. Last week, the Department of Justice announced it launched a probe into nine discarded military ballots in a northeastern Pennsylvania county. Election experts raised concerns about the investigation, including its timing and the seemingly political nature of it.