BOISE, Idaho — The 2020 presidential election ended over three months ago and no court, state or federal, has found any truth to unfounded claims of massive voter fraud.
However, a Republican lawmaker in the Idaho statehouse is introducing another ballot harvesting bill that would make neighbors or friends dropping a ballot off a felony, all in the name of ensuring voter fraud doesn't happen. Even when it didn't happen in the first place.
Rep. Mike Moyle (R-Star) said the purpose of his ballot harvesting bill is to make sure every vote in Idaho is counted. In 2020, they were. Deputy Secretary of State Chad Houck said officials only found 14-15 cases of potential voter fraud out of more than 880,000 ballots cast and most of those cases were resolved.
Even without any evidence of voter fraud in Idaho, the House Majority Leader said the only way to prevent it from happening is to take it seriously now.
Moyle's bill would charge anyone who is not family from dropping off someone else's ballot with a crime, and someone can only turn in six ballots at once for family members. Friends or neighbors who drop off a ballot for someone else would be charged with a felony.
This is the second time Moyle has introduced an anti-ballot harvesting bill. Earlier this session, he introduced a similar bill that only allowed family members of a voter to drop a ballot off and could only drop two off at a time. More than two would be a felony.
When he first introduced that bill, HB 88, he said he heard of situations in other states about ballot harvesting from friends and Facebook.
“I had a constituent call and talk to me about something that he had heard about, and this is a story, I can’t prove it, but they had a party, all the food and booze you could drink. Price of admittance? One signed, unvoted ballot," Moyle told the House.
Moyle has yet to provide any concrete evidence of this happening.
When he faced fierce opposition from both House Democrats and Republicans, he declared that “voting shouldn’t be easy."
His altered bill is much the same as his previous one. Anyone who isn't part of your family cannot drop off your ballot and if someone else does, they'll be a felon.