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California attorney general drops lawsuit against state GOP

California GOP says it owns unofficial ballot drop boxes found in multiple counties

Rich Pedroncelli/AP

HOLD FOR USE WITH STORY MOVING MONDAY JULY 13, 2020-FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2018, file photo, mail-in ballots are placed in bins to be processed after arriving at the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters in Sacramento, Calif. Over 100,000 mail-in ballots were rejected by election officials in California’s March presidential primary, highlighting a glaring gap in the effort to ensure every vote is counted as a national dispute rages over the integrity of vote-by-mail elections. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

By: Associated Press

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s attorney general has dropped a lawsuit seeking the names and contact information of every person who used one of the state Republican Party’s unofficial ballot drop boxes.

The party used the boxes to collect ballots in some counties with closely contested U.S. House races.

It’s legal in California to collect completed ballots and turn them in on behalf of voters. But state law says only county election officials are allowed to deploy ballot drop boxes.

Friday, the attorney general’s office announced it was able to ensure that voters’ ballots were counted.

California Republican Party officials say the lawsuit was a political ploy.