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A28 u.s. news
Diabierna 18 September 2020

Trump's big distortions on mail-in voting

pivotal states, who are will-
ing to conspire with a for-
eign government and risk
detection and prosecution.
Far easier and cheaper would
be a social media campaign
seeking to discourage certain
groups of people from vot-
ing, which is something the
FBI has warned about. Or a
cyberattack on voter registra-
tion data that would elimi-
nate certain voters from the
rolls. That could cause havoc
at polling places or election
offices as officials attempt to
count ballots from people
who are “missing” from their
voter databases.
Attorney General Bill Barr
has raised the possibility that
a “foreign country could
print up tens of thousands
of counterfeit ballots.” He
argued they would be hard
to detect, but that’s been dis-
puted by election experts.
Mail-in ballots are printed
on special paper and must be
formatted correctly in order
to be processed and counted.
Ballots are specific to each
precinct, often with a long
list of local races, and would
be identified as fraudulent if
everything didn’t match pre-
cisely.

Trump:
“The Governor of Nevada
worked very hard to cancel
all of our venues. Despite the
(AP)- President Donald to vote through the mail or THE FACTS: It's highly un- that mail ballots in certain fact that he controls the state,
Trump on Thursday contin- in person. Four other states likely that any chaos in states states such as Florida, a must- he failed, but would have
ued his months long cam- and the District of Columbia with universal mail-in voting win state for him are fine and rather done rally outside.
paign against mail-in voting will be adopting that system will cause the election result safe. But mail-in ballots are Can you imagine this man
this November by tweeting in November, as will almost to “never be accurately deter- cast in the same way as what is in charge ... of the Ballots
critically about the practice, every county in Montana. mined." The five states that Trump refers to as “absen- in Nevada!? Not fair, Rigged
building on complaints he Election officials note that, already have such balloting tee” mail ballots, with the Election!” — tweets Monday.
has made all week. The presi- by registering to vote, people have had time to ramp up same level of scrutiny such The facts:
dent has recently been trying are effectively requesting a their systems, while four new as signature verification in He's making a baseless
to distinguish between states ballot, so it makes no sense states adopting it — Cali- many states. In court filings, charge.
that automatically send mail to call the materials sent to fornia, New Jersey, Nevada the Trump campaign has ac- Trump singled out Nevada’s
ballots to all registered vot- them “unsolicited.” and Vermont — have not. Of knowledged that mail-in and Democratic Gov. Steve Siso-
ers and those that make vot- More broadly speaking, voter those nine states, only Ne- absentee ballots are legally in- lak for his ire after Sisolak
ers request a mail ballot, but fraud has proved exceedingly vada is a battleground, worth terchangeable terms. criticized Trump’s recent in-
even there he’s badly distort- rare. The Brennan Center for only six electoral votes and States nationwide expect a door rally in a Las Vegas sub-
ed the practice. A look at his Justice in 2017 ranked the risk only likely to be pivotal in an surge in mail-in voting due urb for violating the state’s
statements and the facts: of ballot fraud at 0.00004% to absolute national presidential to the ongoing coronavirus large-scale ban on indoor
TRUMP: “The big Unsolic- 0.0009%, based on studies deadlock. The others, includ- threat. gatherings. But there’s one
ited Ballot States should give of past elections. In the five ing the District of Columbia, problem — Sisolak is not in
it up NOW, before it is too states that regularly send bal- are overwhelmingly Demo- charge of the ballots in Ne-
late, and ask people to go to lots to all voters, there have cratic and likely to be won by Trump: vada. The secretary of state
the Polling Booths and, like been no major cases of fraud that party’s nominee, former “Unsolicited Ballots are un- runs that state’s new all-mail
always before, VOTE. Oth- or difficulty counting the Vice President Joe Biden. controllable, totally open to election. Her name is Bar-
erwise, MAYHEM!!! Solic- votes. The main states that are be- ELECTION INTERFER- bara Cegavske, and she is a
ited Ballots (absentee) are ing contested — Arizona, ENCE by foreign countries, Republican.
OK." — tweet Thursday. Trump: Florida, Michigan, North and will lead to massive cha-
“Because of the new and un- Carolina, Pennsylvania and os and confusion!” — tweet Trump’s campaign is suing to
The facts: precedented massive amount Wisconsin — only send mail Thursday. overturn new all-mail-ballot
Trump is vastly overstating of unsolicited ballots which ballots to voters who request THE FACTS: Mail-in ballots rules in Nevada and Mon-
the potential for “mayhem” will be sent to ‘voters’, or them. Trump said Thursday aren’t the biggest risk for for- tana, where Democratic Gov.
and fraud in “big unsolicit- wherever, this year, the Nov that such “solicited” ballots eign interference. Steve Bullock said counties
ed ballot states." There is no 3rd Election result may are absolutely “OK.” Trying to influence a federal could send mail ballots to all
such thing as an “unsolicited” NEVER BE ACCURATELY election through mail-in bal- voters and 46 of the state’s 56
ballot. Five states routinely DETERMINED, which is Trump frequently blasts lots would probably mean have.
send ballots to all registered what some want.” — tweet mail-in voting as flawed and paying thousands of U.S.
voters so they can choose Thursday. fraudulent while insisting citizens, carefully selected in