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TOPLINE
In his latest, and possibly strongest, rebuke yet against mail-in voting, President Trump, who is concerned Democrats would benefit from such measures, tweeted Tuesday morning that there is “NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent,” and definitively declared that “This will be a Rigged Election.”
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 14: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on his way to Marine One on … [+]
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KEY FACTS
Potential voter fraud is an issue Trump has voiced concerns about dating back 2016 when he told a Pennsylvania crowd in August that the “only way” he could lose the state is “if cheating goes on,” and tweeted in October of that year that “the election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary – but also at many polling places.”
This month, the President has intensified his attacks on mail voting; last week, he threatened to cut federal funding to Michigan and Nevada, falsely claiming that the states were sending “illegal” absentee ballots to voters.
Due to concerns that the coronavirus may hinder in-person voting, many states have ramped up efforts to facilitate mail voting, which has angered Trump and many of his Republican allies, who claim mail-in voting is fraught with fraud.
“The United States cannot have all Mail In Ballots. It will be the greatest Rigged Election in history,” Trump tweeted on Sunday, claiming that people will commit fraud by retrieving mailed ballots, duplicating them by the thousands, and forging signatures.
Democrats have argued that Trump’s primary motivation is depressing voter turnout, by any means necessary, instead of uncovering and preventing fraud.
Most research, including the most recent Brennan Center’s seminal report The Truth About Voter Fraud, demonstrates that the majority fraud allegations turn out to be baseless and that most of the few remaining claims reveal irregularities and other forms of election misconduct.
Big Number:
10,704: In 2016’s general election, north of 4.7 million total votes were cast in Michigan, and Trump finished with just 10,704 more than Hillary Clinton.
Tangent:
The Republican National Committee and other Republican groups have recently teamed up to file a lawsuit against California to try and prevent the ballots from being mailed to all registered voters. Ironically, Trump has voted by mail or submitted an absentee ballot in at least three elections. In April, Trump confirmed as much, explaining that he did so because he was “allowed to.”
Crucial Quote:
“The Democrats are trying to Rig the 2020 Election, plain and simple!” – President Trump
Key Background:
In May of 2017, after making unsubstantiated claims that between 3 million and 5 million ballots were illegally cast the prior November, Trump convened the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. It was disbanded the following year, citing “endless legal battles,” without uncovering evidence to prove Trumps’s claim. Research has suggested that all-mail voting may actually benefit Republicans. In fact, some studies have found “that black and Latino voters — two key groups in the party’s base — are less likely to embrace mail voting than white voters.” According to a Fox News Poll released last week, 63% of respondents said they support allowing all U.S. citizens to vote by mail in the upcoming presidential election due to the concerns over the coronavirus.
Further Reading:
Trump Escalates Attacks On Mail-In Voting, Tying Coronavirus To ‘Rigged Election’ (Forbes)
There Is No Evidence That Voting By Mail Gives One Party An Advantage (Five Thiry Eight)
Nearly two-thirds favor voting by mail, but wide partisan divide: poll (Fox News)
Does Vote-by-Mail Favor Democrats? No. It’s a False Argument by Trump (New York Times)
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