Political Quotes

“a few years back, I was watching a television news show and I saw video that struck me as strange. It was a video taken by a security device outside of a residence. Basically, someone is knocking on the door--multiple doors at this particular apartment--and the person knocking on the door basically said this: I am a volunteer for the Democratic Party, and I am here to collect ballots from those who wish to vote Democrat in the next election. I found that strange until I learned that that practice called ballot harvesting is perfectly legal in the State of California; in other words, it is all right for me as a volunteer for my party to go and knock on the door and say: I am here to collect your absentee ballot but only if you are voting for the candidate I am for. That is perfectly legal. That is called ballot harvesting. I hope my colleagues can see the opportunity for abuse in this particular practice. I think most State legislatures that have prohibited this sort of practice see the opportunity for abuse. What is to stop me from saying, ``Knock. Knock. Knock. I am a volunteer for party X, and I am here to collect ballots for people who like to vote for candidates of party X,'' getting those ballots and then perhaps forgetting to turn them in or perhaps losing them or not turning them in at all? That sort of practice is rife for abuse, and I think it is the reason that most States prohibit that.…”