President Donald Trump's Republican Party has engaged in a standoff with the Californian authorities, who ordered it to remove
“ballot boxes”
installed without authorization in three counties of the state, refusing to comply and ensuring of the legality of this initiative.
A spokesperson for the party in California assured that the ballot boxes, placed last weekend in churches, armories and other private places, were nothing more than an initiative to
"collect ballots"
.
This practice allows intermediaries to collect ballots and route them themselves to polling places, and is permitted in some states, including California.
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"We will continue our ballot collection programs
,
"
said Hector Barajas, spokesman for the Republican Party of California, interviewed Monday by CBS television.
The local authorities, for their part, believe that these “ballot boxes”, a sort of letterbox some of which bear the word
“official”
in large letters
, are
likely
to deceive the public.
They gave Republicans until Thursday to withdraw them.
The controversy arises three weeks before presidential election day, November 3, and as President Donald Trump regularly questions the reliability of the ballot, especially postal voting, which is widespread in the United States.
"Political parties and campaign teams can get involved to increase turnout, but they can't break state law
,
"
California Secretary of State Democrat Alex Padilla said.
"The mailboxes in question, unofficial and unauthorized, break the law and endanger the security of ballot papers,"
he said in a statement, saying that
"voters must be able to cast their ballot with complete transparency and confidence ”
.
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California prosecutor Xavier Becerra has warned that the activists behind the “ballot boxes” could face criminal prosecution if they refuse to remove them.
"We hope that the message has been clearly heard by anyone who solicits or interferes with the citizens' vote
," he insisted, saying that he had received
"disturbing information"
on the reluctance of Republicans to stop their initiative.
Hector Barajas did not appear to be moved by threats of prosecution, telling CBS that if the “official” label was to be erased, the controversial boxes would remain in place.
“Show us where the law says we should stop.
Tell us where we are breaking the law, ”
he said.