Photo: President Donald Trump upon arrival at Wilmington International Airport in Wilmington, N.C., on Wednesday where he urged supporters to try to vote in person after sending in a mail-in ballot — actions that would be both illegal and disruptive. Mandel Ngan/AFP - Getty Images
In a bizarre move, Donald Trump has encouraged voters in the US state of North Carolina to 'vote twice', once by post and once in person, as a debate rages over absentee and postal votes. Voting twice is a criminal offence.
It is the latest attempt by Donald Trump to undermine the validity of the upcoming November election, where polls have him trailing Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Trump has frequently spoken out against postal votes or absentee ballots as he believes it will lead to voter fraud.
The vast increase in postal ballots is taking place to allow people to continue to vote even amidst the ongoing CoVid-19 pandemic. It was feared that due to social distancing and public apprehension, turnout at the polls could be severely disrupted if postal ballots were not made more widely available.
Trump appeared to see no hypocrisy in the fact that he and the First Lady, Melania Trump, have previously requested and used postal ballots themselves in Florida, where they are registered as residing.
Trump's claims are based on his belief that if the postal ballot system worked, and is indeed safe, then voters wouldn't be able to turn up at the in-person voting facilities and cast a valid vote and therefore voters should test the system. He said:
So let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their system's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote. If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote. If it's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote. If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote. So that's the way it is. And that's what they should do.
The Republican Party is even seeking to sue states such as Montana, New Jersey and Nevada, that are expanding postal ballot access. Many believe the Republicans oppose postal ballots because it may cause an increase in the number of poor people, black people and other ethnic minorities voting. A fact that will mean Trump has less chance of winning.
Tim Murtaugh, a Trump campaign official, backed the president's remarks:
President Trump encourages supporters to vote absentee-by-mail early, and then show up in person at the polls or the local registrar to verify that their vote has already been counted. It's amazing that the media can go from insisting that voter fraud doesn't exist to screaming about it when President Trump points out the giant holes in the Democrats' voting schemes.
It is estimated that as many as 83 per cent of US voters will cast their ballot by mail this year. This also means that the presidential race will be decided far earlier than in previous elections, as voters will be required to make a choice some time before polling shuts on election day.
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