‘Greatest rigged election in history!’ Trump doubles down in attack against mail-in ballots

President Donald Trump has doubled down in his attacks against mail-in voting for this year’s presidential election claiming it will lead to the ‘greatest rigged election in history’ and its supporters are using the coronavirus to create a voting scam.

Trump is ramping up his campaign against the integrity of mail-in ballots as states including Michigan and Nevada opt to have constituents send in their votes to decrease public exposure to coronavirus.

‘The United States cannot have all Mail In Ballots. It will be the greatest Rigged Election in history. People grab them from mailboxes, print thousands of forgeries and “force” people to sign. Also, forge names,’ he tweeted Sunday afternoon. 

‘Some absentee OK, when necessary. Trying to use Covid for this Scam!’ he added. 

President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that if the US allows all states to vote via mail-in ballots it’ll result in the ‘greatest rigged election in history’

Trump claimed that people would steal ballots from mailboxes, print forgeries and 'force' voters to sign the compromised ballots

Trump claimed that people would steal ballots from mailboxes, print forgeries and ‘force’ voters to sign the compromised ballots

The president spent Saturday and Sunday golfing at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. Pictured above Saturday

The president spent Saturday and Sunday golfing at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. Pictured above Saturday

On Wednesday the president threatened to ‘hold up’ federal funding in Michigan, which is reeling from severe flooding after two dams burst and 10,000 people were evacuated, and claimed the mail-in ballot plans were ‘illegal’.

His threat dangled as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency in parts of Michigan.  

He incorrectly claimed that Michigan’s secretary of state is planning to mail ballots to all voters, when in reality the state is planning to send applications for mail-in ballots to all voters, not the ballots themselves.

‘Michigan sends absentee ballot applications to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!’ he tweeted last week. 

Last week the president criticized mail-in ballots saying they trigger mass voter fraud, even though this has not been proven, and renewed his call for a voter ID law.   

‘Mail-in ballots are a very dangerous thing they’re they’re subject of massive fraud,’ Trump said at an event at the White House with the governors of Kansas and Arkansas.

On Wednesday the president threatened to 'hold up' federal funding in Michigan, which is reeling from severe flooding after two dams burst and 10,000 people were evacuated, and claimed the mail-in ballot plans were 'illegal'. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer above

On Wednesday the president threatened to ‘hold up’ federal funding in Michigan, which is reeling from severe flooding after two dams burst and 10,000 people were evacuated, and claimed the mail-in ballot plans were ‘illegal’. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer above

President Donald Trump threatened to with hold federal funds from Michigan in revenge for the state sending absentee ballot applications to all voters

President Donald Trump threatened to with hold federal funds from Michigan in revenge for the state sending absentee ballot applications to all voters

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, then responded: 'We sent applications, not ballots. Just like my GOP colleagues in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska and West Virginia

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, then responded: ‘We sent applications, not ballots. Just like my GOP colleagues in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska and West Virginia

Trump's tweet comes at a time when Michigan officials are dealing with two crises: the coronavirus pandemic and severe flooding due to the failure of two dams (Sanford Dam pictured)

Trump’s tweet comes at a time when Michigan officials are dealing with two crises: the coronavirus pandemic and severe flooding due to the failure of two dams (Sanford Dam pictured) 

‘People have to check you, they have to see, they’re to look at you and check you,’ he said. ‘I mean when you get thousands of ballots, and then put them in a bag and they just bring them in, who knows where they came from? It’s so obvious. And frankly they should have voter ID. That’s what they should have. You really want to know what the country wants? The country wants voter ID. Otherwise it’s going to be subjected to tremendous illegality and fraud.’  

Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske said that the state is expanding election by mail opportunities as a ‘necessary and prudent decision’ in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

Today five states including Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington already hold elections nearly entirely by mail.

The District of Columbia and 33 states give voters the option. Other states only allow voting by mail in certain circumstances.

In the series of tweets, the president also called out Nevada for sending out 'illegal vote by mail ballots'

In the series of tweets, the president also called out Nevada for sending out ‘illegal vote by mail ballots’

Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske said that the state is expanding election by mail opportunities as a 'necessary and prudent decision' in light of the COVID-19 crisis

Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske said that the state is expanding election by mail opportunities as a ‘necessary and prudent decision’ in light of the COVID-19 crisis

But the pandemic is making many states reconsider their options.

Last week a federal judge in Texas ruled that registered voters in the state can apply to vote by mail saying that the state’s current absentee voting rules would put unconstitutional and illegal burdens on Texas voters.

Furthermore an Associated Press-NORC survey found a majority of respondents favored allowing people to vote by mail without providing a reason.

About 66 percent was in favor of voting by mail as an alternative to in-person voting on Election day if the coronavirus still poses a severe threat in November, as per a USA Today-Suffolk University poll. 

Despite Trump’s criticism of mail-in voting, he cast his vote in March’s Florida primary by mail. 

‘I’m at the White House. And I have to send a ballot to Florida, that makes sense. So if you needed for some reason, or if somebody’s not well, that’s one thing,’ Trump said. 

‘But when you send out 7.7 million mail-in ballots there’s forgeries, there’s frankly duplication where they print ballots on the same kind of paper with the same kind of machinery and you can’t tell the difference.’ 

On Sunday Republican Sen. Rick Scott said on CNN that mail-in voting could work as long as lws are in place to combat fraud.

‘I think as long as you can do it safely, and as long as you can make sure here’s no fraud, we ought to be able to do absentee ballots like we do it in Florida. I’m fine with absentee ballots the way we do it in Florida, with early voting the way we do it in Florida, with Election Day voting, which is clearly the safest,’ he said. 

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