Byron Donalds co-chairs ‘Bank Your Vote’ GOP pre-election day effort

FORT MYERS, Fla. (FLV) – U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., will co-chair the Republican Party’s new “Bank Your Vote” initiative, the party’s plan to take advantage of early and mail-in voting laws across the country after defeats in 2020 and 2022.

The plan was announced by Republican Party Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who urged that the party must “close the gap on pre-election day voting.”

The initiative comes amid efforts from grassroots activists like Scott Presler who have been urging Republicans to utilize state election laws to their advantage, including ballot harvesting, mail-in voting and early voting, rather than waiting until election day.

“If we don’t vote early, we’re giving the Democrats a head start,” McDaniel said. “But when Republicans vote early, we win. And in 2024 we are going to hold the house, win back the Senate and take the White House.”

In Florida, Republicans outpaced Democrats in early and mail-in voting, winning by double digits in 2022 and by considerably wider margin in 2020 when Democrats led before election day.

“Beating Joe Biden & the Democrats is the only way to take back our country,” Donalds said. “I’m proud to co-chair this winning game plan to #BankYourVote & encourage voters to securely bank as many pre-Election Day votes as possible.”

The GOP’s plan will also be co-chaired by U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn.

The “Bank Your Vote” website states that ballot harvesting will be utilized “where permitted,” echoing vows from leading GOP presidential candidates former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Trump voiced support for the notion of ballot harvesting earlier this year.

“BEST IDEA I’VE HEARD IN A LONG TIME,” Trump said of the idea that Republicans should place ballot “drop boxes” across churches. “PUT THEM ALL OVER THE PLACE. RNC, EVERY REPUBLICAN, GET TO WORK ON THIS NOW!!!”

DeSantis has said multiple times Republicans must ballot harvest where legal and vote before election day, and promised to use that practice at a recent 2024 campaign event.

An Iowa voter leaned into DeSantis and asked if the governor will be ballot harvesting.

“Yes, we will. We will,” DeSantis replied.

“Each state is different,” he continued. “In Nevada, they send everyone a ballot – which is bad – but we’re gonna do ballot harvesting.”

“We’re gonna do ballot harvesting. I’m doing it, yes,” DeSantis said. “I’m not gonna fight with one hand tied behind my back.”

Presler, a conservative voter turnout and registration activist who toured Florida and other parts of the country in 2022, amped up the rhetoric after the party faced electoral blunders where they were not expected.

He announced the launch of a PAC to target early and mail-in voting in January called “Early Vote Action PAC.”

“This organization aims to build early/mail-in voting infrastructures in AZ, NC, NV, PA, & WI to win the White House in 2024,” Presler tweeted.

“If we win these swing states, Republicans will retake the Senate, strengthen our hold on the House, retake the North Carolina Governor’s Mansion, retake the Nevada Legislature, strengthen our holds on the other respective states’ legislatures, and see victories in down-ballot races at the county and local levels,” the website said.

The PAC plans to recruit and mobilize volunteers from all 50 states.

“Because if we retake these five key states, we can continue our movement’s march into every state across the country with powerful momentum, until every state on the map is ruby Republican red!”

Click here to learn more about EVA.