EDITORIAL: Ballot security isn’t voter suppression

Democratic rhetoric about voter suppression increasingly sounds like a conspiracy theory.

Last week, Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske proposed an emergency regulation related to ballot harvesting. During the second special session, Democrats rammed through a far-reaching elections bill, part of which made it legal for anyone to collect and turn in ballots. That was previously a felony in Nevada, unless one was returning a family member’s ballot.

Ms. Cegavske’s proposal would have required those who collected 10 or more ballots to register with the state. Harvesters also would have had to identify whose ballots they collected, where they dropped the ballots and the name of any organization they worked for.

Ms. Cegavske’s request was eminently reasonable. The problems with ballot harvesting are obvious to those who aren’t blinded by partisanship. Allowing individuals to indiscriminately pick up and drop off ballots makes it more difficult for election officials to ensure that political operatives don’t manipulate ballots. If Democrats insist on legalizing the process, aren’t a few safeguards appropriate?

Imagine how a defense lawyer would tear a prosecutor apart if he admitted the government didn’t know how the murder weapon went from the scene of the crime to the courtroom. When election officials allow paid political operatives to collect ballots, they’re inviting similar problems. Harvesting raises all sorts of chain-of-custody questions about ballot security.

This isn’t theoretical. Last week, a New Jersey judge ordered a new city council election after four men were charged with numerous crimes related to ballot harvesting.

In her request to the governor, Ms. Cegavske noted that, “This clarification is needed to ensure the secretary of state has the information necessary to investigate and stop illegal activity associated with ballot harvesting.”

Gov. Steve Sisolak couldn’t argue with Cegavske’s logic, so he turned to one of Democrats’ favorite conspiracy theories. “This request and the corresponding press release echoes the voter suppression rhetoric being heard on the national stage with respect to Nevada’s voter assistance laws,” he wrote in a letter rejecting her request. He also accused Ms. Cegavske of politicizing the emergency regulation process.

Harry Reid jumped in as well. “Donald Trump is waging a war of voter suppression,” he tweeted. “Last week, Nevada’s SoS followed his lead by trying to make it harder for voters to submit their ballots.”

This is “tinfoil-hat” level reasoning. Asking harvesters to identify themselves isn’t voter suppression. It’s a basic security measure necessary because the Legislature has made changes in balloting rules due to the pandemic. It’s certainly true that somebody has “politicized” the matter. And it isn’t Ms. Cegavske.