With less than 100 days until the Presidential election, President Donald Trump has suggested postponing the elections on November 3. He did so through his Twitter account, arguing that the possibility of a massive vote by mail would make these elections the “most fraudulent in history.”
“The universal vote by mail (not the absentee vote, which is good), the 2020 elections will be the most imprecise and fraudulent in history. They will be embarrassing for the United States. Should we delay the elections until people can vote properly and safely?” he Tweeted.
The coronavirus crisis has prompted several states in the United States to consider facilitating voting by mail, due to concerns about infections and public health, especially if a second wave of the virus is registered in the fall. The virus has already caused over 150,000 deaths across the United States, according to the New York Times.
Earlier this month, six US states were planning to hold the November elections exclusively by mail: California, Utah, Hawaii, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. These states will automatically send the ballots to all registered voters, which must then be mailed or hand-delivered on Election Day.
President Trump has always been very critical of voting by mail. Despite having admitted on some occasions that he himself used this way of voting a couple of times, he has always considered it publicly a danger. In fact, in an interview with Fox News, he even said that, with the vote by mail, the Republicans would never win an election again.
“If this is ever accepted, this country will never have a Republican president again,” Trump said on the Fox and Friends show in early April.
On the contrary, Democrats have always defended it as a good measure to increase participation. Encouraging it would expand the voting possibilities for workers, minorities, youth., and some vulnerable groups who are an important part of the Democrats’ voting base.
In order for the election to be delayed, Congress must first approve that motion
