Ballot harvesting involves third parties to collect and deliver ballots.

In our May 25, 2021, article concerning potential fraud in the Greenville County GOP (GCGOP) Delegate Registration and Officer Election we stated that “Integrity of elections at all levels by any and all political parties is crucial for the survival of America”. Without that integrity everything collapses like a cheap suit on a hot summer South Carolina day! We stated in that article that it all gets back to the golden rule of doing right by others—treating others the way that you want to be treated, following the command of “Thou shalt not steal.” Exodus 20:15.

Not only did we suspect that fraud was involved in every single election in this country but we have found that, yes, fraud was indeed involved in the election perhaps in most jurisdictions in the country! Thus, we know there was fraud in many places and that is being proven on a daily basis due to the forensic audits throughout the United States, starting in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and other venues! And yes, this could involve the ESS System in South Carolina!

And where do many of those cases of fraud begin? Perhaps in the GOP rules themselves! As a result of a loophole in the SCGOP Rules, the Greenville County Republican Party has allegedly propagated a ballot harvesting approach to delegate registrations that has impacted the voting results of the recent GCGOP officer election.

In a sense, the way the SCGOP rules are written, it is the wild wild west where anything goes relating to delegate registrations. As reported weeks ago in our first article, this alleged ballot harvesting approach used in the last GCGOP officer election is now being exposed by a designated elections committee within the GCGOP.

Listed below is the loophole that has allowed this to transpire.

SCGOP Rules 2015.doc  PAGE 10

Section (5) Delegates and alternates to the county convention shall be elected from among the members of the precinct in attendance and/or those whose membership is set forth in the poll list of the preceding primary election and/or those who are absent from the reorganization meeting but who have submitted the properly signed forms.

SC State Republican Chairman Drew McKissick

Noted above, there are three separate and distinct avenues for Republicans to become registered county delegates and then be able to turn around and vote for GCGOP officers.

1. You show up to the reorg meeting or the makeup meeting
2. Your name must appear on the poll list of having voted in the last Republican Primary
3. You simply fill out a delegate registration form

Each of these methods are stand alone and not conditional on the others. Therefore, all you have to do in #3 is fill out a registration form. There is no formal requirement for you to have ever shown up at a Republican Party event, meeting, reorganization, or showed your face at all, EVER. If you are a registered Republican, based on the loophole, you get to VOTE for the GCGOP officers regardless of your political involvement. Enter in the alleged ballot harvesting scam at the Greenville County level and potentially the State level.

The GCGOP allegedly used this loophole for a ballot harvesting approach with local area churches that goes well beyond the spirit of grassroots organization. They allegedly recruited church members and church staff to collect delegate registrations and then turned around and used church offices as the delegate registration form depository. That’s right! Never been involved in politics. Never attended a local GCGOP meeting. Never intend to attend a local GCGOP Republican Party event in the future, not to worry. The SCGOP rules have you covered. Is this the way the SC and GC GOP operates? Is this the way the church is to operate? Is there any integrity? Is there any honesty? Is winning at any cost ok by long established Christian standards regardless of propriety or not? Church, has Esau come home to sell your soul for a mess of pottage?

Let me comment here: Yes, everybody wants to win! But, does victory by taking shortcuts, using questionable tactics, or outright cheating or not doing the work have the same satisfaction as actually putting in the work and actually achieving the victory because of that work?

Unfortunately, it gets worse. Not only were the delegate registrations being harvested by local church leaders and their staff; using the church office as a collection site for the delegate registration forms; but you can avoid the $20.00 registration fee because an “anonymous donor” has taken care of the registration fee for you! There are allegations that the anonymous donor may have been the GCGOP itself!

If true, how does that work? Some Republicans are required to pay the registration fees and others who were recruited at the last minute through an alleged ballot harvesting scheme are not? So, why should some pay and others not? Is this a case of “unequal measures”? A violation of the eighth commandment and a form of theft? If this sounds discriminatory, perhaps it is. Why has the church placed themselves in a questionable position regarding their integrity with political activity?

Why would the church, their staff, or anyone connected to a church ministry want to operate in a “gray zone” of a potential questionable practice regarding their integrity? Does this not bring everything they do into question? Not only does this place them at odds with the scriptures but potentially with governing authorities! The church is to obey God alone! While registering voters is certainly within the purview of local churches, supporting the candidacy or platform of any one person is illegal. And yes, I know that many churches in ethnic minority communities do this, but does that make it right? As a matter of fact, churches can pass voter registration forms out through the pews, but according to IRS rules they cannot advocate for a specific political candidate or political platform. If these IRS rules are out of line then we need to have them abolished, if not abolished then we’ve agreed to them, then we must follow them–this is a contract.

The question remains, based on the voting records of all the ballot harvested delegate registration forms, were church members and staff all instructed (or guided toward a particular candidate or platform) to vote for the same candidate and platform? What do the voting results of those church members look like?

If this approach is deemed constitutionally and legally sound (and does not violate IRS Tax Exempt Status Rules), does this ballot harvesting delegate registration approach follow the spirit of grassroots recruiting efforts in the Greenville County Republican Party, or is this simply a workaround and a manipulation of a wholesome process? Based on the constitutionality and statutory limits of the approach, if deemed illegal and ethically inappropriate, should all of the ballot harvested delegates be tossed out and another GCGOP officer vote take place?

The SCGOP needs to batten down the rules and close the ballot harvesting approach used in the GCGOP officer election process. Whether or not this is legal and runs afoul of the IRS Tax Exempt Rules; or whether or not there was explicit intent by the church as an organization, church members, or their staff (unwittingly); what remains is that there was a last-minute effort to recruit church members and their staff to perform the bidding of the Greenville County Republican Party “establishment.”

On its face this wreaks of inappropriate delegate registration and ballot harvesting recruiting efforts and behavior. In depth, the church has it’s name, reputation and character to uphold in adhering to right practices and proper character and behavior. There is no exception for the church to act appropriately or not—it must exhibit proper character! There is no place in church ministries or in South Carolina politics for any other behavior. The question is, has the GCGOP crossed the line?

Michael Reed is Editor and Publisher of The Standard newspaper, print and online, and TheStandardSC YouTube channel where many video reports may be found. Please share freely and donate to The Standard on this page to assure the continued availability of news that is ignored too often by the dominant media.

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