WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump voted by mail in Florida’s Republican major happening on Tuesday (Aug 18) regardless of repeatedly denouncing the observe as corrupt and pushing to limit its use forward of November’s midterm elections.
Palm Seaside County voting data cited by US media present Trump requested a poll in late July and returned it final week for the contests in his adopted residence state.
Trump has for years claimed with out proof that mail-in voting is extremely susceptible to fraud, repeatedly linking it to his false assertion that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.
“Mail-in ballots are inherently corrupt,” he stated throughout a July speech on election safety.
The White Home stated there was no contradiction as a result of Trump was away from Florida, pointing to exceptions in laws that the president has been pushing to limit the observe.
“As President Trump has stated, the SAVE America Act has commonsense exceptions for People to make use of mail-in ballots for sickness, incapacity, army, or journey – however common mail-in voting shouldn’t be allowed as a result of it is extremely prone to fraud,” White Home spokeswoman Olivia Wales advised AFP.
“As everybody is aware of, the president is a resident of Palm Seaside and participates in Florida elections, however he clearly primarily lives on the White Home in Washington DC. This can be a non-story,” she stated.
White Home officers say Trump has not been within the Sunshine State for months.
Florida legislation permits any eligible registered voter to request a mail poll, though the Republican-controlled state has tightened identification and ballot-handling guidelines lately.
Trump has in the meantime pressed Congress to move the SAVE America Act, which might impose more durable identification and citizenship necessities and sharply limit mail voting, whereas his administration can also be asking the Supreme Courtroom to revive components of an govt order on election procedures blocked by decrease courts.
It’s not the primary time Trump has used a system he recurrently assaults.
He voted by mail in Palm Seaside County in 2020 and once more throughout a Florida particular election earlier this yr. After the latter vote, Trump defended doing so whereas away from the state however reiterated his broader opposition.
“No, I feel mail-in voting is a horrible factor,” he stated. “I feel for those who vote, you must go.”
The Florida major contains the Republican contest to succeed term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis, with Trump backing congressman Byron Donalds.
