{"id":1954373,"date":"2023-06-22T15:58:02","date_gmt":"2023-06-22T19:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/activists-say-ballot-harvesting-once-shunned-by-gop-now-key-to-winning-in-2024\/"},"modified":"2023-06-22T16:01:36","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T20:01:36","slug":"activists-say-ballot-harvesting-once-shunned-by-gop-now-key-to-winning-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/activists-say-ballot-harvesting-once-shunned-by-gop-now-key-to-winning-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Activists claim ballot harvesting, once rejected by GOP, now vital for 2024 victory."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Factivists-say-ballot-harvesting-once-shunned-by-gop-now-key-to-winning-in-2024%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1954373&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<div class=\"aplayer_app\" data-source=\"https:\/\/vs1.youmaker.com\/assets\/2023\/0622\/e7069cdf-bc62-4024-92d6-afd119098fef\/audio.mp3?length=12735693&#038;duration=1061\"><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>Scott Presler, though unfailingly polite in conversation, isn\u2019t afraid to speak bluntly about the massive threat conservatives face in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s my contention that, currently, Joe Biden is cruising to reelection if we don\u2019t have the infrastructure necessary, with things such as voter registration, early voting, legal ballot harvesting,\u201d the Millennial Republican activist told The Epoch Times earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we don\u2019t have those things, then a Republican is simply not able to win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although Republican former President Donald Trump has recently pulled ahead of Democrat President Joe Biden in national polls, his edge is only about 2.4 percent, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/epolls\/2024\/president\/us\/general-election-trump-vs-biden-7383.html\">RealClear Politics average as of June 22.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Presler is among the political insiders and analysts who told The Epoch Times that Republican Party leaders and candidates need to change course now if they want to win the presidency and other coveted political prizes in the 2024 election.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3021908\" style=\"width: 601px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2019\/07\/30\/scott-presler-01.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<p>Traditionally, the GOP\u2019s mantra had been: Vote in person on Election Day only. Republicans frowned upon early voting and mail-in ballots. They also have eschewed <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Ballot_harvesting_laws_by_state\">ballot harvesting<\/a>, which is legal in some states. Ballot harvesting involves surrogates collecting voters\u2019 absentee ballots and delivering them to election officials.<\/p>\n<p>Many conservatives expressed distrust of those methods, believing they could be vulnerable to manipulation and cheating. But ballot harvesting can also be seen as a safeguard against sometimes inevitable life circumstances that prevent people from making it to the ballot box on Election Day: a broken down car, a medical emergency, death in the family, or something as simple as a memory lapse on a busy day.<\/p>\n<p>To avoid some of such attrition, groups and campaigns have employed \u201cballot chasing,\u201d a practice of following up with likely voters to make sure they cast ballots.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Republican attitudes about pursuing votes and voters have begun to shift, especially after the GOP\u2019s lackluster showing in the 2022 midterm elections. A predicted \u201cred wave\u201d of Republican victories didn\u2019t materialize. Analysts cited many reasons for the disappointing results, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/how-google-stopped-the-red-wave_4859553.html\">Big Tech\u2019s manipulation<\/a> of online information and influence. But another concern, high on the list of factors, was the failure of Republicans to alter their voter-engagement tactics.<\/p>\n<p>FreedomWorks, a grassroots organization with millions of activists nationwide, recently produced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UThaWM8iOSE\">a video<\/a> explaining the significance of ballot harvesting and ballot chasing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Left has built a well-oiled machine to absentee ballot harvest and chase. The Right has fallen behind significantly. And if this strategic gap isn\u2019t filled quickly, our future is bleak,\u201d the video says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe political battlefield has changed drastically since 2016,\u201d says FreedomWorks, noting that more than 70 percent of ballots cast during the 2020 election were cast before Election Day. \u201cWe may not like this trend, but it\u2019s accelerating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In recent months, many leading Republicans, including Trump, have changed their tune; they recognize that to beat Democrats, they need to take advantage of every legal means to pump up Republicans\u2019 vote tallies. Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who continues contesting her 2022 election loss to Democrat Katie Hobbs, recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/arizonas-kari-lake-announces-plans-to-paint-the-state-red-appeal-election-ruling_5286782.html\">announced a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/video-shows-florida-dem-election-official-lied-about-not-knowing-anything-about-ballot-harvesting-problems\/\" title=\"Video Shows Florida Dem Election Official Lied About Not Knowing Anything About Ballot Harvesting Problems\">ballot-chasing operation<\/a><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, some conservative advocates see signs that the national GOP may lack the will, the apparatus, and the focus to set up the Party for success. So, grassroots activists are stepping up. But they worry that Republicans may once again find themselves outplayed and outgunned.<\/p>\n<h2>Mobilizer Ignored?<\/h2>\n<p>Charlie Kirk, founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tpusa.com\">Turning Point USA,<\/a> a nonprofit group for young conservatives, dislikes seeing Republican candidates spending lots of money on negative TV advertisements. He thinks the money would be more wisely spent to help inspirational mobilizers such as Presler.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need 1,000 Scott Preslers \u2026 not Ron DeSantis-versus-Donald Trump television advertisements,\u201d Kirk said during <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SweetPeaBell326\/status\/1663972069388820480?s=20\">a recent podcast<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna waste $1 billion on a primary, where $100 million, $50 million, whatever, could make the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Presler, known as #ThePersistence on social media, recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/tech\/2023\/06\/01\/turning-point-action-pledges-5-million-to-fund-wisconsin-ballot-chasing-efforts-with-scott-presler\/\">received<\/a> a $5 million pledge from Kirk\u2019s organization for \u201cGOTV [get-out-the-vote], early voting, and other ballot-chasing initiatives in the state of Wisconsin ahead of the 2024 presidential election.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wisconsin ranks among four states that \u201care <a href=\"https:\/\/insideelections.com\/news\/article\/initial-2024-presidential-battleground-state-ratings\">at the epicenter<\/a> of the fight for the White House,\u201d according to Nathan Gonzales, editor of InsideElections.com. The other \u201ctoss-up\u201d states are Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Arizona.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3595221\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2020\/11\/27\/GettyImages-1286757142-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<p>With more than a million followers on Twitter, Presler delivers a popular, uplifting message for the Republican base. He\u2019s the type of grassroots activist you\u2019d assume that Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman, would be eager to know.<\/p>\n<p>Yet Presler says McDaniel has not responded to his repeated and ongoing attempts to contact her. For more than two months, he has sent messages to McDaniel via social media, text, and email\u2014to no avail.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s been no communication from the chairwoman or the RNC,\u201d he told The Epoch Times. \u201cI\u2019m a team player, and I\u2019m a collaborator. And look, at the end of the day, I\u2019m here to win and make Joe Biden a one-term president. If the chairwoman were to call me, I would immediately take the call.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Epoch Times sought comment from McDaniel without success.<\/p>\n<p>After considerable pressure from Presler and other prominent Republican voices, McDaniel and the RNC recently announced a program to secure more Republican votes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bankyourvote.com\">BankYourVote.com<\/a> will encourage voters to pledge to \u2018bank\u2019 their vote, which will activate digital reminders from the RNC on all applicable pre-Election Day voting options,\u201d the RNC\u2019s announcement on the initiative states.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>\u2018Machinery\u2019 Needed<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>With Republican infighting over 2024 heating up, Presler is calling for unity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe enemy is not amongst us. And really, the enemy isn\u2019t even the Democrats,\u201d he said. \u201cBut what we do know is that Joe Biden has been a reckless president who\u2019s putting national and global security at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Decisive steps must be taken now, Presler said.<\/p>\n<p>As Kirk recently <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/charliekirk11\/status\/1663353605376856065?s=20\">wrote on Twitter,<\/a> the Republican field of presidential hopefuls has grown. But, he said, \u201cIt won\u2019t matter who the nominee is unless we make the investments today in ballot chasing, harvesting, voter reg[istration], and signature verification.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5326676\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/06\/12\/id5326676-Charlie_Kirk-1200x1636.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<p>\u201c2024 is being decided now by the community organizers,\u201d Kirk wrote. \u201cWe can beat them if we invest early in the machinery that will make the difference. Ignore the noise. Build the machine to win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Presler, Kirk, and others argue that the Republican Party\u2019s problems with reaching and activating supporters are symptomatic of more profound deficiencies. Democrats seem to have a more organized, solidified network of support.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey have these nonprofit organizations,\u201d Presler said. \u201cAnd they\u2019re all working in solidarity with the same message of either voter registration or data collection, and then ultimately mobilizing those people based on that data.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In his view, the RNC needs to do the same.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the RNC is not getting the job done, then the job simply isn\u2019t going to get done, because we don\u2019t have the infrastructure as a conservative movement to be able to fill the voids necessary,\u201d Presler said.<\/p>\n<h2>Not a Lost Cause<\/h2>\n<p>Across the nation, disconnected from the RNC, many individuals and small groups are pitching in, hoping their work to educate, register, and activate voters will move the needle for Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>Some of these efforts are concentrated in states that conservatives have largely \u201cwritten off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ian Camacho, director of research for <a href=\"https:\/\/lookaheadamerica.org\">Look Ahead America (LAA),<\/a> told The Epoch Times: \u201cI think Virginia is one of the states that we think could be \u2018flippable,\u2019 but a lot of people on the Right have given up on it.\u201d Virginia has become a focal point for Camacho\u2019s organization, which calls itself \u201cthe nation\u2019s leading America First community organizer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump, who touts an \u201cAmerica First\u201d agenda, lost Virginia to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, but won the presidency; in 2020, he lost the state and the presidency to Biden.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5349339\" style=\"width: 226px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/06\/22\/id5349339-Ian-Camacho-headshot-1200x1805.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe were founded with the twin missions of ensuring election integrity and registering and turning out to vote disaffected patriotic Americans of rural and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-or-woke-activist-group-new-york-times-employees-raise-questions-about-guilds-role-in-recent-dismissals\/\" title=\"Union or Woke Activist Group? New York Times Employees Raise Questions About Guild\u2019s Role in Recent Dismissals\">blue-collar backgrounds<\/a>,\u201d LAA\u2019s founder, Matt Braynard, wrote in a May memo outlining the group\u2019s voter turnout project in Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>While much attention is devoted to the 2024 presidential race, LAA is spotlighting state and local contests. The state senate is two seats shy of securing a Republican majority.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot at stake in Virginia this year,\u201d said Camacho. \u201cIt\u2019s very possible that the Senate could be flipped \u2026 and it\u2019s kind of a \u2018swingy\u2019 state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If that \u201cflip\u201d happens, it would give Republicans full control of the state government\u2014and the Republican presidential nominee might benefit from that additional clout and attention in the 2024 election.<\/p>\n<p>Started in 2017, LAA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, a type of group that the Left has long used to increase voter turnout, Camacho said. He noted that such organizations have many built-in advantages, including \u201cthe ability to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/activists-say-ballot-harvesting-once-shunned-by-gop-now-key-to-winning-in-2024\/\" title=\"Activists claim ballot harvesting, once rejected by GOP, now vital for 2024 victory.\">raise unlimited tax-deductible money<\/a> from any source\u2026without having to disclose information about donors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Too many people waste too much time and effort complaining about the Left\u2019s tactics rather than responding with countermeasures, Camacho said, underscoring points made by Presler, Kirk, and other insiders.<\/p>\n<h2>Negative vs. Positive Gain<\/h2>\n<p>LAA is working on not only registering voters but \u201cgetting them to vote, whether it\u2019s going early, whether it\u2019s going by mail, whether it\u2019s voting in person,\u201d Camacho said.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a tough sell lately, as people remain concerned about election improprieties making their votes moot. \u201cMany people feel that their vote does not matter and it doesn\u2019t make a difference\u00ad\u2014and that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>LAA also supports election-integrity efforts, including <a href=\"https:\/\/lookaheadamerica.org\/nc747pr\/\">one in North Carolina,<\/a> a state that Trump narrowly won in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou hear so many people talking about voter fraud and voter integrity, voter cheating and all this kind of stuff. And yes, it does happen. And working on that and cleaning that up absolutely does need to happen,\u201d Camacho said. \u201cBut I would say that\u2019s \u2018negative gain.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to also concentrate on \u201cpositive gain,\u201d adding new voters to the rolls, he said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5326502\" style=\"width: 4032px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/06\/11\/id5326502-992f16b313b86bfd1ac870e6-1200x900.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<p>A private donor has contributed funds for the Virginia turnout effort as a pilot project. \u201cIf we can show an effective model in 2023 in Virginia, then we can, ideally, raise funds to expand across the country for the 2024 general election,\u201d Camacho said.<\/p>\n<p>LAA\u2019s campaign is multifaceted. The group int<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scott Presler, a Millennial Republican activist, warns conservatives about the looming threat in 2024. He believes that Joe Biden is on track for reelection unless conservatives establish the required infrastructure, including voter registration, early voting, and legal ballot harvesting. Despite his polite demeanor, Presler emphasizes the urgency of this issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2153,"featured_media":1954374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1954373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1954373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2153"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1954373"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1954373\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1954374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1954373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1954373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1954373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}