President Trump this week ratcheted up his attacks on mail-in voting as more states move to increase absentee ballot access due to coronavirus uncertainties.
The president has levied unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud dating back to the 2016 election and has continued to do so even though he was victorious. But he took his complaints a step further in threatening to withhold federal funding from Michigan and Nevada, two potential swing states, as they took different steps to allow residents to vote by mail.
“To really vote, and without fraud, you have to go and you have to vote at the polling place,” Trump said Thursday at a Ford factory in Michigan, arguing that mail-in voting is “wrought with fraud and abuse.
The president has targeted Democrat-run states over their efforts to expand mail-in voting to ensure safety during the pandemic, lashing out in recent weeks at Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and California. GOP-led states such as Nebraska, West Virginia and Georgia have made similar plans to offer applications for absentee ballots but have not drawn sharp rebukes from the Oval Office.
Experts note there is minimal evidence of meaningful fraud in mail-in voting, and some see Trump’s latest round of attacks as an effort to restrict ballot access and preemptively cast suspicion on the 2020 election results should he lose.
“It’s just a new variation on how he was calling into question the election results before the election happened and sowing distrust,” said Doug Heye, former Republican National Committee communications director. “You didn’t hear Republicans talking about mail-in ballots being a problem six months ago or four years ago.”
The president has in recent weeks decried mail-in voting as “corrupt,” “terrible” and “very dangerous,” insisting Americans should vote in person barring extraordinary circumstances and be required to present identification.
But on Wednesday, he added a threat to those criticisms after being set off Wednesday by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D), who sent applications to voters to fill out and return if they want an absentee ballot.
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(CNN)The Republican National Committee and other Republican groups have filed a lawsuit against California to stop the state from mailing absentee ballots to all voters ahead of the 2020 general election, a move that was made in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The suit comes after California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, announced this month that the state would move to encourage all voters to cast their ballots by mail in November — the most widespread expansion of vote-by-mail that has been announced as a result of the pandemic and in the nation’s most populous state.
The RNC’s lawsuit challenges that step, marking a significant escalation in the legal battles between Republicans and Democrats that are currently being waged in more than a dozen states.
“Democrats continue to use this pandemic as a ploy to implement their partisan election agenda, and Governor Newsom’s executive order is the latest direct assault on the integrity of our elections,” said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in a statement.
“Newsom’s illegal power grab is a recipe for disaster that would destroy the confidence Californians deserve to have in the security of their vote.”
McDaniel’s comments echo President Donald Trump who has expressed vehement opposition to Newsom’s order and has pushed back strenuously against expansions to vote-by-mail across the country.
On Sunday morning, Trump tweeted another attack on vote-by-mail, which included several claims for which he provided no evidence.
“The United States cannot have all Mail In Ballots,” Trump tweeted. “It will be the greatest Rigged Election in history.
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So far only one case of fraud has been found to have merit. A Mr. Trump with a New York resident wished to vote in Florida where he also has a home. Mr. Trump expressed outrage when confronted, “&^%$ YOU MOTHER *&^%%$#$” while holding his Black Bible.
right now there are alot of states that don t ask you for i d to vote. they don t know it s really that person is the one voting.. i do believe mail in vote s are not a good thing. anybody could fillout a ballott with a fake name . no i d is asked to be show n. there are un documented people that fill out these ballotts so i think it should be in person voting with photo i d in all 50 states. and now it s not the case.
Here we go again with do as I say, not as I do! It is o.k. for his entire family to vote by mail, however every other citizen that votes by mail is a liar and a cheat! I resent that.Your party will do everything they can to deny people the right to vote. It is you and the Ratpublican party that is dishonest . Why would a businessman file for bankruptcy six times? Because he wants to avoid paying his debts! What honor is there in filing for bankruptcy six times? I noticed in the Washington Post our “great leader is again accusing MSMBC’s Joe Scarborough of murder, and is the same idiot that told his citizens ” They should inject themselves with bleach and Lysol to clean out the lungs” What right do you have in trying to steal the people’s right to vote? And as for the charge that postal employees ” may have thrown out mail in ballots” . Go to hell! How could anyone know which ballot helps the Ratpublicans? The Ratpublican party could have shown the Nazi’s a few tricks.