Supreme Court To Consider Arizona Ballot Harvesting Case

Project Veritas released an undercover video showing a ballot harvester

September 28, 2020 C. Kramer
In August 2015, CASE (Central Arizonans for a Sustainable Economy) used youngsters to harvest ballots in Arizona heat. They noted in a Twitter post: "Our PHX Canvass has knocked on 32,000 doors, got 600 voters on the PEVL, and have collected 600 ballots."

The U.S. Supreme Court Justices are expected to discuss and vote on petitions for review on Tuesday. Among the cases under consideration is Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, a case involving Arizona’s ban on ballot harvesting.

Although ballot harvesting has been treated as a myth by some in the political arena, the practice is well-documented. In fact on Monday, Project Veritas released an undercover video showing a ballot harvester allegedly connected to Rep. Ilhan Omar exchanging $200 for a general election ballot.


It isn’t just Democratic Party operatives who have taken advantage of the harvesting scheme. In August of 2016, Sen. John McCain’s campaign team raised eyebrows when they sent college-aged students out to harvest ballots. [RELATED ARTICLE: McCain’s Camp Ballot Harvesting Raises Questions]

Earlier that year, the Arizona State Legislature outlawed the predatory harvesting practice. [RELATED ARTICLE: Arizona Lawmaker Down With Hispanic Struggle, Unwilling To End Corrupt Ballot Harvesting]

HB2023, sponsored in 2016 by Representative Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-23), prescribes a class 6 felony for collecting a voted or unvoted early ballot from another person. The bill allows family members, household members, or caregivers of a voter, as well as election officials and United States postal workers to continue to be allowed to collect ballots.

The bill was passed after a video was published (since removed by YouTube censors) that showed a progressive operative delivering harvested ballots to a polling center. That video was followed by compelling testimony from a southern Arizona native and community leader about the abuses of voters at the hands of harvesters.  RELATED ARTICLE: Arizona primary ballot box stuffing caught on tape

In August 2015, CASE (Central Arizonans for a Sustainable Economy) used youngsters to harvest ballots in Arizona heat.

In February of this year, the Ninth Circuit granted Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s motion to stay the Court’s mandate in the DNC v. Hobbs.

Two courts have agreed with Arizona’s contention that its limits do not harm minorities. However, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overruled those two previous findings. This ruling is stayed until the Supreme Court determines whether to take the case.

Election Integrity Project, California (EIPCa) and Arizona (EIPAz) filed an amicus brief in support of Arizona’s petition to have SCOTUS take up the case. EIPCa and EIPAz argued:

Voting by mail is vulnerable to fraud and requires special protections;
California serves as a warning of the dangers of unchecked and unlimited voting by mail; and
The two prior rulings were correct when they found Arizona’s law does not violate Section 2.

The stay will remain in place until the U.S. Supreme Court has a chance to hear the appeal of the case.

According to the motion filed by Brnovich, the Attorney General’s Office intervened to assure that the State’s interest in retaining its “broad authority to structure and regulate elections is fully preserved.” Brnovich was forced to intervene on behalf of the State because Secretary of State Hobbs is refusing to defend the laws through the appeal process.

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Arizona primary ballot box stuffing caught on tape

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