California GOP installed unofficial ballot drop boxes at churches, gas stations and gun stores. Is that legal?

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra recently sent a cease-and-desist letter to the California Republican Party to stop operating unofficial ballot drop boxes. Dozens have popped up across the state, including in Orange and LA counties. To the untrained eye, they don’t look all that different from the official ballot drop boxes the state is using.

The state Republican party has defended the practice, saying California allows ballot harvesting. Spokesman Hector Barajas spoke to KQED’s California Report: “We will respond to the cease-and-desist letter, but we will continue our ballot harvesting program. If the secretary of state would like to provide us what section code, or what election code has been violated, we’d love to see it. And we will continue to do our ballot harvesting. And if they’ve got a problem with it, we’ll see them in court.”