The battle over whether or not to legalize “vote-by-mail” in the November election has led to over $100 million being collectively poured into the effort on both sides, according to ABC News.
On the pro-vote-by-mail side, among other organizations, is George Soros’s Open Society. Open Society spokeswoman Laleh Ispahani, claimed that “the pandemic has created a state of emergency,” and that as such, “donors who haven’t typically taken on these issues now have an interest.” Such groups have already collectively donated over $6 million to the state of Wisconsin in an effort to legalize vote-by-mail in the crucial swing state.
On the anti-vote-by-mail side are organizations including Judicial Watch, the Honest Elections Project, True the Vote, and the Public Interest Legal Foundation, which are using their resources to fight vote-by-mail in the courts. Much of the funding for this effort comes from the conservative group Donors Trust, which is aimed at protecting the anonymity of wealthy donors who donate to political causes. Also involved in the effort is the Republican National Committee, which has already given at least $20 million in the fight to litigate vote-by-mail measures.
Vote-by-mail is described by proponents as a “safe” method of conducting elections in the midst of a pandemic, while its critics point out that it makes elections far more susceptible to voter fraud. Other controversial practices that are being pursued by left-wing groups include ballot-harvesting, the practice of third parties collecting and depositing ballots on behalf of voters, which is illegal in every state except for California; the legalization of the practice in the state in 2016 led to numerous Democratic victories in the 2018 midterms, including multiple seats that were stolen by voter fraud.