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For years, Republicans across the country have decried the use of so-called “ballot harvesting,” arguing that laws that allow a third party to collect voters’ completed ballots serve as a breeding ground for election fraud. In California, the state’s Republican Party has taken Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials to court over the practice.

Now, California’s GOP is defending its use of the very ballot collection law it once sued over.

In recent weeks, gray metal containers labeled as ballot drop boxes have been placed at various locations — including gun shops, shooting ranges, churches and Republican Party offices — in several California counties.

California Republican Party officials have acknowledged responsibility for the boxes and have rejected allegations of wrongdoing, in defiance of what the state’s top election official and attorney general say is an illegal practice.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

An official Orange County Registrar of Voters ballot drop box for the 2020 presidential election is seen at Carl Thornton Park in Santa Ana. (Allen J. Schaben /Los Angeles Times)
An official Orange County Registrar of Voters ballot drop box for the 2020 presidential election is seen at Carl Thornton Park in Santa Ana. (Allen J. Schaben /Los Angeles Times)