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U.S. NewS Diaranson 28 october 2020

Trump sees voting chaos that does not exist

(AP) — Seeing chaos
where others don't, Presi-
dent Donald Trump is
falsely asserting that vot-
ing by mail is proving
to be rife with problems
across the country. For
the most part, the surge in
early votes has been man-
aged smoothly.

Trump also made the impos-
sible demand that all votes be
counted election night. That
is guaranteed not to happen.
Some states will be count-
ing mailed votes for days and
many may not have final re-
sults that night. It’s all part of
Trump’s effort to sow distrust
in the integrity of the election
if he loses.
He introduced a new twist in
his case Tuesday, encourag-
ing people who have already
cast ballots for Democrat Joe
Biden to change their vote to
him. Some states allow peo-
ple who voted early to change
their ballot if they show up
Election Day and nullify their
initial vote; many do not.
Trump claimed people's in-
terest in changing their vote
spiked after the last presiden- tion experts worried might do so as well as to portray the He once raised the question David Becker of the Cen-
tial debate, as measured by happen has not been seen. result as illegitimate if Biden of delaying the election, then ter for Election Innovation
Google searches. In fact, peo- wins. dropped the thought, but said changing a vote in states
ple using Google were more Trump has conspiratorially has persisted in groundless where that is possible is “ex-
interested in Jill Biden and inflated local incidents, con- As for his demand for a “final allegations that the election tremely rare” and very com-
the matching mask she wore tending, for example, that vote total” on election night, is certain to be plagued by plicated.
with her dress at the event. mail-in ballots filled out for that flies in the face of how fraud.
him are being dumped in riv- votes are counted and report- ___ “It’s hard enough to get peo-
Trump's statements on ers or creeks. This is a fabri- ed. TRUMP: “Strongly Trend- ple to vote once — it’s highly
voting — and voting again: cation. ing (Google) since immedi- unlikely anybody will go
TRUMP: “It would be very, Apart from the usual lags in ately after the second debate through this process twice,”
very proper and very nice if Three trays of mail were rounding up and reporting is CAN I CHANGE MY he said. Trump's suggestion
a winner were declared on found by the side of a road totals from every precinct in VOTE? This refers changing that he did so well in the de-
November third, instead and in a ditch — not a river the country, the U.S. is seeing it to me. The answer in most bate that people who already
of counting ballots for two or creek — in Greenville, unprecedented numbers of states is YES. Go do it. Most voted for Biden wished they
weeks, which is totally inap- Wisconsin, in mid-Septem- early votes, and some battle- important Election of your could switch to him is not
propriate and I don’t believe ber. The sheriff initially said ground states won't even start life!” — tweet Tuesday. borne out by the search en-
that that’s by our laws." — re- “several absentee ballots” counting them until Election gine's statistics.
marks to reporters Tuesday. were in the mix. The state's Day votes have been tallied. THE FACTS: Not so fast.
TRUMP: “Big problems elections officer later said Some states allow voters to Google searches for “change
and discrepancies with Mail no Wisconsin ballots were Indeed, the Supreme Court switch their early vote, but my vote” did not crack the
In Ballots all over the USA. in the lost mail after all. No is allowing Pennsylvania to laws vary and many have re- top 20 searches that night or
Must have final total on No- one said ballots marked for count mailed ballots that are strictions. after. Jill Biden was the sub-
vember 3rd." — tweet Mon- Trump were thrown out in not even received by elec- ject of Google's 20th most
day. the incident. tions officials for three days Minnesota, for instance, al- popular search that day. On
after the election, as long as lows voters to “claw back” Friday, the new “Borat”
THE FACTS: No, the ca- Trump’s motive for challeng- there's no evidence that such their vote and change it, movie, presidential polls and
tastrophe Trump has warned ing votes by mail is plain: ballots were filled out after but the deadline for that has college football were among
darkly about for months in Democrats are dominat- Nov. 3. The court quashed an passed. Wisconsin allows the subjects drawing top 20
mail-in voting has not ma- ing that segment of voting. effort in Wisconsin to extend people to change their vote attention, not his debate per-
terialized. And “our laws” Registered Democrats have the absentee ballot deadline up to three times, though it formance.
don't require the immediate also outnumbered registered there. doesn’t happen often. Florida
reporting of all election re- Republicans in early voting allows voters who received The only notable uptick
sults in the country; delayed in person at polling places, Earlier in the campaign, mail ballots to choose to vote came after Trump tweeted
counting is unavoidable. though the gap is narrower Trump asserted that the win- in person instead, but they about vote-changing Tuesday
than with mailed ballots. ner should be declared on cannot vote more than once. morning, claiming a lift from
There have been sporadic re- In short, Trump may need election night, another out- the debate that the search
ports of voters receiving mail supporters to show up in come no one can guarantee If a voter has already sent his engine didn't show. Only
ballots that were incorrectly huge numbers on Election and one that may elude the or her mail-in ballot and then limited conclusions can be
formatted and other localized Day if not before, and his country in a week. There is goes to vote in person, “the drawn from the list of popu-
hitches in the record early baseless allegations of early- no requirement that the win- (mail) ballot is deemed cast lar searches because Google
turnout, but the large-scale voting irregularities are de- ner be determined Election and the voter to have voted,” does not provide complete
disenfranchisement that elec- signed to motivate them to Day. according to Florida law. data.