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Maloney’s Pennsylvania Chase has deployed 120 paid field organizers, who are staying in Airbnbs across the state and knocking on doors to ensure that mail-in ballots are not only requested but returned. “It’s not persuasion. It’s not policy,” Maloney explained. “It’s just chase the ballots.”
While the GOP’s mail-in push is gaining steam, it hasn’t been without its challenges. In one instance, Maloney’s team faced an unexpected roadblock when a Philadelphia Airbnb host canceled a $5,000 reservation and evicted seven Republican volunteers after learning they were “chasing ballots for Republicans.” The eviction sparked outrage, and Pennsylvania Chase is considering legal action, accusing the host of political discrimination. Despite the setback, Maloney said his team remains determined. “The guys are in the field extra hours today because they’re pissed off and motivated,” he told the Post.
The Republican Party’s effort to close the gap in mail-in ballots reflects a significant shift from just a few years ago. In the 2020 election, Trump’s public skepticism of mail-in voting—driven by concerns over potential fraud—led to a stark disparity in the numbers. Trump lost the mail-in vote by 1.4 million in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, and it ultimately contributed to his overall defeat there by 80,000 votes. At the time, as many as 74% of Republican voters expressed concern about mail-in voting, making them far less likely to use it compared to their Democratic counterparts.
Now, Republicans are embracing the mail-in system, recognizing its importance in modern elections. “Democrats embraced no-excuse mail-in voting,” Maloney said, explaining that Democrats had the advantage of casting mail-in ballots for more than a month, while Republicans mostly waited until Election Day.
Republican strategists are aware that they cannot completely erase the Democrats’ lead in mail-in ballots, but they believe they can increase their share enough to make a difference. Maloney told the Post that the GOP’s goal is to secure at least 33% of the mail-in vote, a number he claims would ensure a statewide victory for Trump. “If we can get it to 33%, we cannot lose statewide. And we end the mail-in-ballot domination by Democrats,” he said.
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So far, Pennsylvania Chase’s efforts are showing results. As of now, Republicans account for 26.5% of mail-in ballot requests, up from 23.1% at this point in the 2020 election and 18.3% in 2022. Jondavid Longo, the state director of Early Vote Action in Pennsylvania, expressed optimism about the trend. “Republicans need to use every tool in their toolkit that Democrats have access to,” he said, echoing Maloney’s sentiment that early and mail-in voting are crucial to the GOP’s chances in Pennsylvania.
With Election Day fast approaching, the Republicans’ push to close the gap in mail-in ballots could play a pivotal role in determining the outcome in Pennsylvania, a state that holds 19 valuable electoral votes. The party’s willingness to adopt tactics that were once associated with Democrats shows just how critical mail-in voting has become in modern elections. If the GOP can continue to gain ground, it could spell trouble for Democrats in this key battleground state.
