Lara Trump to Tap Scott Presler to Lead RNC’s Legal Ballot Harvesting

Lara Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference at Gaylord National Resort Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 22, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Lara Trump, the newly elected co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), announced on Friday plans to tap Scott Presler to lead legal ballot harvesting efforts ahead of the 2024 general election.

In an interview on “The Benny Show,” Ms. Trump revealed an election strategy aimed at ensuring the integrity of the upcoming election cycle.

This strategy encompasses various measures such as legal ballot harvesting, which Ms. Trump noted is a marked departure from the GOP’s past practices.

Other key strategies she mentioned include early voting initiatives and the establishment of an election integrity division within the RNC.

Ms. Trump specifically mentioned Mr. Presler, a prominent conservative activist known for his voter registration efforts, as a key ally to lead the party’s legal ballot harvesting operations.

“We also have to start thinking about things like legal ballot harvesting, something we’ve never embraced as a party,” Ms. Trump said.

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“We’re going to start doing it now. I’m going to have a call very soon with Scott Presler, who is an amazing vote registerer. He has registered so many people in this country.

“I think he’s fantastic. I want him on our legal ballot harvesting division,” she continued.

Ballot Harvesting

Ballot harvesting is the practice of collecting completed mail-in ballots by third-party individuals or organizations, who deliver them to election officials or drop boxes on a voter’s behalf.

Some critics refer to it as “ballot trafficking,” and Republicans have typically been against both ballot harvesting and early voting.

However, the practice is now being seen as a way to gain an advantage over the opposition.

It remains to be seen whether the practice will result in legal challenges over alleged voter fraud, as Republicans have pursued against Democrats.

The change in the GOP’s stance follows concerns raised by Republicans and voters regarding election integrity in the aftermath of the 2020 elections.

Ms. Trump highlighted the creation of the RNC’s “first-ever” election integrity division, aimed at addressing such concerns and ensuring a fair electoral process.

Training Poll Workers, Deploying Lawyers to Polling Places

Other measures the RNC is taking for the first time include training poll workers and deploying lawyers to polling places to be able to address irregularities in “real time.”

“In addition, we now have the ability to train poll workers. These are not just poll watchers—people who physically stand in a polling location and kind of look around and maybe might be able to see something. These are people ... who get to handle a ballot, who can count the ballots coming in and the ballots going out, so they know what the numbers should be at the end of the day,” Ms. Trump said.

“On top of that, we are also hiring and we are asking for volunteer attorneys all across this country. We want you in a polling location near you every single minute that there is voting going on because we want to be able to address a problem immediately in real-time. We cannot wait until it’s too late,” she continued.

These initiatives, Ms. Trump said, would ensure that come election day, there is “no question” who the winner is.

“We’ve got to bank enough votes going into November 5th that we’re not playing catch up on election day. We need to swamp the system so it doesn’t matter how many 3 a.m. drops they have or suitcases filled with ballots, there will be no question on the night of November 5th that Donald Trump is elected as the 47th president,” she said.

Presler Says He’s Determined to Help Republicans

Mr. Presler, who is a popular conservative figure due to his voter registration efforts, took to X, formerly Twitter, following Ms. Trump’s remarks.

He said that following the results of the 2020 election, he was determined to help Republicans regain control of Congress, focusing on voter registration efforts in key battleground states.

He launched Early Vote Action PAC in January 2023 with the aim of electing Republicans through comprehensive voter engagement strategies.

“The simple goal of this organization is to use an all-of-the-above approach to voting in order to elect Republicans. We are focused on AZ, NC, NV, PA, & WI,” he wrote.

“So, I’ve spent the last year traveling to each of these states & helping to recruit/train new volunteers. Our voter registration efforts & drives at places like gun shows, places of worship, gas stations, rodeos, farmers markets, country music concerts, & mud sales are making an impact,” he continued.

Ms. Trump became the RNC’s new co-chair on March 8, along with Michael Whatley as the committee’s new chairman. Additionally, the RNC appointed Chris LaCivita, who is a top adviser to the Trump campaign, as the director of operations.