Page 2 - aruba-today-20220516

A2 UP FRONT
Monday 16 May 2022

In early primaries, voters favor polling places over mail

Continued from Front confidence. "It's unfortu- "Mail ballots are a safe and
nate because our election secure method of voting
And a year and a half of system has been mischar- used by millions of Ameri-
former President Donald acterized and the integ- cans, including myself."
Trump and his allies push- rity of our elections ques- A record 43% of voters in
ing false claims about mail tioned," said Ben Hovland, the U.S. cast mail ballots in
voting to explain his loss to a Democrat appointed by 2020, compared with 24.5%
Democrat Joe Biden has Trump to the U.S. Election in 2016, according to the
also taken a toll on voter Assistance Commission. commission's survey of lo-

Raymond Broedel casts his ballot at the City-County Building
in the final hours of early voting in the primary election in
Indianapolis, Monday, May 2, 2022.
Associated Press
cal election officials. The Trump, dismissed numerous
number of voters who used lawsuits challenging the re-
in-person early voting also sults. An exhaustive review
increased, although the by The Associated Press of
jump was not quite as large every potential 2020 voter
as in mail ballots, the survey fraud case in the six states
found. disputed by Trump found
Before the November 2020 nowhere near enough in-
election, 12 states expand- stances to affect the result.
ed access to mail ballots by That has not stopped Re-
loosening certain require- publican state lawmakers
ments. Five more either from citing election secu-
mailed ballots to all eligible rity concerns as justification
voters or allowed local offi- for new restrictions to vot-
cials to do so, according to ing, and mail voting in par-
the National Conference of ticular. The changes have
State Legislatures. This year, confused some voters. In
eight states will mail ballots Texas, voters were tripped
to every eligible voter. up by new identification
In Georgia, state officials requirements in the state's
had adopted no-excuse March primary, resulting in
mail ballots and three an abnormally high rate of
weeks of early, in-person mail ballot rejections.
voting before the pan- Requesting a mail ballot
demic. Laws surrounding is significantly harder now
mail voting changed after in Georgia than in 2020,
the 2020 election, amid when voters could go on-
Trump's effort to discredit line to request a ballot be
the outcome after his nar- sent to them without a
row loss in the state. printed request. Part of the
There is no evidence to 2021 voting law pushed by
support Trump's claims Republicans required vot-
of widespread fraud or ers to print or obtain a pa-
a conspiracy to steal the per form, then sign it in ink
election. Judges, includ- before sending it in by mail,
ing some appointed by email or fax.q