‘It Will Work’: Republican Governor ‘Comfortable’ With Mail-In Voting Despite Trump Attacks

TOPLINE

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Sunday expressed confidence about no-excuse mail-in voting in his state, making him one of a sizable group of Republican state officials defending the practice ahead of the November election despite Trump’s attacks on mail-in voting as inherently fraudulent.

KEY FACTS

Crucial Quote

Many Republicans have sounded alarm bells about the electoral impacts of Trump’s screeds against mail-in voting amid polls that show Republican voters have relatively low confidence in voting by mail. “The fact that you have so-called party leaders parroting Trump’s B.S. on vote by mail is basically putting a knife to their own electoral throats,” said former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele earlier this month.

Chief Critic

Even though DeWine supports voting by mail, some on the left feel the state’s Republican leaders could do more to expand voter access. The Ohio Democratic Party and the League of Women Voters filed lawsuits demanding that Ohio residents be allowed to submit absentee ballot applications by email. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, supports the creation of an online portal, but the legislature has failed to take any action on such a proposal. The suits also challenge security measures such as signature matching.

What To Watch For

The Trump administration is reportedly eyeing executive actions to limit mail-in voting in states that have expanded it. But election processes are largely determined at the state and local level, meaning the bulk of pivotal decisions on mail-in will ultimately be up to governors like DeWine.