Wire Services
After condemning mail-in voting for months, President Donald Trump is now encouraging Floridians to cast their ballots by mail, assuring in a social media post Tuesday that the state’s election system “is Safe and Secure.”
The Republican President has repeatedly linked mail-in ballots with fraud and erroneously claimed last week that elections officials have sent out “hundreds of millions of universal mail-in ballots” throughout the nation.
But Trump more than once has singled out Florida — a crucial battleground state — as an exemplar of how mail-in voting should be conducted. He doubled down on the message in a Tuesday tweet.
“Whether you call it Vote by Mail or Absentee Voting, in Florida the election system is Safe and Secure, Tried and True,” Trump wrote. “Florida’s Voting system has been cleaned up (we defeated Democrats attempts at change), so in Florida I encourage all to request a Ballot & Vote by Mail! #MAGA”
Florida requires voters to request mail-in ballots before elections officials can provide them. The state adopted its “no-excuse” absentee-voting system in 2002, and in 2016 switched the name from “absentee” to “vote-by-mail.”
As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the country, election officials in Florida and elsewhere are urging voters to cast ballots from home. Officials expect more than double the usual number of Floridians to vote by mail during the state’s Aug. 18 primary elections and the Nov. 3 general election, when Trump will be at the top of the GOP ticket.
Trump’s social media post drew immediate scrutiny from news outlets, political commentators and Florida lawmakers.
“Could this reversal have something to do with the @FlaDems being up by more than 600,000 vote-by-mail requests in Florida? False attacks on vote-by-mail have backfired and now it’s cleanup on aisle 9,” Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, a former Democratic state senator, said on Twitter.
But Republicans backed Trump’s tweet.
“President @realDonaldTrump says Florida’s Vote-by-Mail system is ‘safe and secure.’ The president mailed in his ballot in the past and will likely do it again. Request your Vote-by-Mail ballot, today!” the Republican Party of Florida tweeted.
For years, Republicans, who control both chambers of the state Legislature, have relied on voting by mail to boost GOP turnout and make inroads in legislative and statewide races.
But, as the coronavirus continues to rage, Democrats this year are engaging in a major vote-by-mail push.
According to the state Division of Elections website, 1,368,889 Democrats had requested vote-by-mail ballots as of Tuesday, compared to 904,733 requests by Republican voters. Also, 612,786 voters with no party affiliation had requested mail-in ballots.
Democrats also had eclipsed Republicans in returning the ballots by nearly 130,000 votes, the state numbers showed. As of Tuesday, 427,330 Republicans and 555,989 Democrats had voted by mail in the primaries.
Trump has repeatedly castigated the vote-by-mail process, even suggesting in a tweet last week that the election should be postponed due to the pandemic.
“With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history,” Trump tweeted. “It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”
Trump appeared to be singling out states that have decided to send mail-in ballots or applications to all registered voters. In contrast, Floridians have to request mail-in ballots.
Elections experts maintain that fraudulent voting is very rare.
A handful of states conduct elections solely by mail. Amid the pandemic, elections officials in some places are sending absentee-ballot applications to all registered voters. Many states have expanded their elections laws to allow voters to cast their ballots from home.
During a Tuesday press conference, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended Trump’s tweet about Florida.
“The president has always said that absentee voting for a reason is different than mass mail-out voting, like what Nevada is seeking to do, which leads to mass fraud,” McEnany said. “And also, I’d refer you to the campaign on this, but there was a victory in Florida with regard to ballots, I believe that’s what he was referencing.”
Trump may have been referring to a Florida lawsuit filed this year by left-leaning groups including Priorities USA and the Dream Defenders that sought to expand the state’s vote-by-mail procedures.
Among other things, the plaintiffs asked to extend a deadline for mail-in ballots to be returned. They also wanted free postage for the ballots and challenged a provision in Florida law restricting paid workers from collecting mail-in ballots.
The plaintiffs dropped the lawsuit, however, after reaching a settlement with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration.
Under the agreement, Secretary of State Laurel Lee pledged to “educate” and “encourage” county supervisors of elections about a variety of vote-by-mail procedures that were at the heart of the legal challenge.
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Republished with permission from the News Service of Florida.
6 comments
Robert Dunn
August 4, 2020 at 6:12 pm
Today’s Democrat party? The number one prerequisite for Vice President of the United States of America is……………….female with.dark skin color.
Democrats want to make this election all about President Trump. NOT their platform & Goals for obvious reasons.
How do you like Democrat Socialism so far? PORT, NY, CHI, ATL, WA, DC Minneapolis just to mention a few. All Democrat leadership did the same thing, allowing the rioters to destroy.
If Joe Biden is elected President America will be on fire…..only Biden won’t send federal officers.
Democrat Mayors ordering police to stand down while the city is looted, burned. citizens beaten in the streets, monuments destroyed, police stations attacked taken over and allowed to be occupied. Antifa and BLM founder is a Marxist, (the media is hiding this fact) are the criminals behind this and the Democrat city and state leaders are complicit.
Biden stated he’s going to “transform America” If you vote for Joe Biden it will be for a far left platform.. Joe will follow the radical left’s agenda or Joe won’t get the support (and he is) of Nancy Pelosi, Bernie Sanders, Karen Bass (Leader Congressional Black Caucus), llhan Omar, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Val Demings, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Valerie Jarrett,. Rashida Talib, Stacy Abrams, Ayanna Pressley, Nancy Pelosi, Sheila Jackson Lee, Tom Perez, Maxine Waters, Pramila Jayapal.
This is the core of the socialists wing of the Democrat party and is firmly in charge, not old , confused Joe Biden. Biden will be a puppet to a liberal Vice President and those mentioned above.) Socialist llhan Omar stated recently, she will support Biden who has “one of the most progressive platforms in the history of the Democrat party.” He does
Democrat Platform & Goals: (Do you know?)
*Citizenship for 20 to 50 million illegal aliens, DACA, TPS recipients and their families with a cost of billions.
*Free Healthcare for Illegal aliens, DACA, TPS recipients (taxpayer funded with one estimate at 52 trillion) Joe Biden endorsed.
*Massive tax increases. All Democrat candidates have committed to tax increases of various amounts. Biden has stated he will raise taxes to over 71 trillion. With his platform, he will have to.
*Sanctuary Cities & States. Joe Biden supports sanctuary cities.
*Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Green new deal.(which would create massive unemployment, 100,000 jobs estimated in the transportation industry alone.) Biden supports.
*Reparations for race’s harmed by Caucasians. Joe Biden committed to support Sheila Jackson Lee’s reparations bill in the House. Basically a tax will be levied on all Caucasians in America. (you can’t make this stuff up)
*De-fund & terminate border patrol & ICE.
* Climate Change: Biden climate change plan will cost trillions of tax dollars & jobs.
* Biden will attack the Second Amendment (as it is now) Biden has stated Beto O’Rourke will be his gun Czar “Hell yeah I’m coming for your guns.”
*De-fund Police. Kamala Harris called it “re-imagine law enforcement” in the senate. Biden recently stated he was in favor, quote “redirecting law enforcement finds.” Biden will do what the far left wants.
*Ending of all private / employer based health care. “Medicare for all”, Feds run everything.
*Illegal Aliens eligible for welfare & food stamps. (Elizabeth Warren’s plan adopted) Endorsed by Biden.
*Free college for all, including illegal aliens (taxpayer funded with estimates in the billions. Bernie Sanders plan adopted.
*Decriminalization of illegal entry into our country.
*Open Borders.
*End all deportations of illegal aliens, if you get here, you stay. Bernie’s website calls it a “moratorium” on deportations.
*Drivers Licenses for illegal aliens (already happening in states with Democrat leadership. Biden endorsed
*Late term abortions up to 9 months.
* Destruction and erasing our history.
Democrats want to make this election all about President Trump. NOT their platform & Goals for obvious reasons.
Tjb
August 4, 2020 at 8:10 pm
Robert Dunn, your information is very inaccurate and in some cases lies. Please stop cutting and pasting information from the QAnon pundits. In most presidential elections we should be discussing issues and platforms, but with trump, his only platform is to win for his self serving interest. He does not care about Americans, he only cares about himself.
jon
August 5, 2020 at 12:29 am
Tjb, so… tell me about Biden’s plans. You seem to know nothing about all the great things Trump has done in only 3.5 years! So must be well versed on pedo Joe. I will wait to hear all about the great things he will do, wile also remembering he has been in office for almost 4 decades and only has comedic gaffs to show for his time in office, oh wait, he also managed to say a lot of racist nonsense also! I am waiting……….
tjb
August 5, 2020 at 11:15 am
I am not well versed on pedo Joe, don’t know him. But I do know of Joe Biden. But let’s talk about trump’s accomplishments.
Trump has built 3 miles of the Mexico Wall, increase our national debt, made racism fashionable, allowed Putin to weaken the US on the world stage, and help to make North Korea a nuclear power. GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
Interesting fact– During Obama’s last three years in office Obama had better employment results compare to Trump’s first three years in the office, the economy was growing at a faster pace, … Jon what else has Trump done aside dividing the American
people?
Sonja Fitch
August 5, 2020 at 5:45 am
If trump says it it is a lie! No proof yet! But trump is a paranoid delusional racist sexist liar ! Vote Blue for you and me!
tjb
August 5, 2020 at 11:13 am
I am not well versed on pedo Joe, don’t know him. But I do know of Joe Biden. But let’s talk about trump’s accomplishments.
Trump has built 3 miles of the Mexico Wall, increase our national debt, made racism fashionable, allowed Putin to weaken the US on the world stage, and help to make North Korea a nuclear power. GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
Interesting fact– During Obama’s last three years in office Obama had better employment results compare to Trump’s first three years in the office, the economy was growing at a faster pace, … Jon what else has Trump done aside dividing the American
people?
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