By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Capitol Times
A federal judge late Friday slapped down a bid by a Democrat activist to void a 2016 law that makes “ballot harvesting” illegal and allow the practice to resume for Tuesday’s primary.
Judge Douglas Rayes acknowledged that once an early ballot is put into an envelope it becomes “mail.” And he said federal law specifically allows private individuals to deliver mail as long as they do not charge a fee.
But Rayes rejected arguments by Rivko Knox that the ban on individuals delivering someone else’s ballot to polling places runs afoul of that federal law. He said the purpose of that law was simply to prevent others from competing financially with the U.S. Postal Service and undermining its revenues.
“Congress did not intend to supplant state control over the handling of early ballots,” the judge wrote.
