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U.S. NEWS Friday 31 July 2020
Trump floats idea of election delay, a virtual impossibility

Continued from Front

“With Universal Mail-In Vo-
ting (not Absentee Voting,
which is good), 2020 will
be the most INACCURATE
& FRAUDULENT Election in
history,” Trump tweeted
Thursday. “It will be a great
embarrassment to the USA.
Delay the Election until
people can properly, secu-
rely and safely vote???”
After facing blowback
from Republicans for even
floating the notion, Trump
appeared to retreat on
Twitter Thursday afternoon,
suggesting he was me-
rely trying to highlight pro-
blems with mail-in balloting.
“Glad I was able to get the
very dishonest LameStream
Media to finally start talking
about the RISKS to our De-
mocracy from dangerous
Universal Mail-In-Voting
(not Absentee Voting,
which I totally support!).”
In fact, only five states con-
duct elections entirely by Miami-Dade County Department of Elections employee Elizabeth Prieto gathers vote-by-mail ballots for the August 18 primary
mail, although more states election as the canvassing board meets to verify ballot signatures at the Miami-Dade County Elections Department, Thursday, July
expect to rely more heavily 30, 2020, in Doral, Fla.
on mail-in ballots in Novem- Associated Press
ber because of the virus
outbreak. California has Trump has come back ballots to voters during the sick,” Obama said. campaign’s national press
announced plans to send before after trailing consi- primaries, but most states Voters and public health secretary, pointed to the
ballots to all registered vo- stently in the polls throug- are not expected to do officials have expressed delays in counting votes in
ters for the fall election, but hout 2016, the survey data so in November. Instead, concerns about the poten- New York’s primary. “The
will also have in-person vo- has raised the possibility voters will have to request tial dangers for spreading President is just raising a
ting options available. that he could face a lands- an absentee ballot if they the virus during in-person question about the chaos
“Must know Election results lide loss if he doesn’t turn want to vote at home. voting, and states have re- Democrats have created
on the night of the Election, things around. Trump and many members ported difficulty filling poll with their insistence on all
not days, months, or even Trump has increasingly sou- of his administration have worker positions given the mail-in voting. They are
years later!” Trump twee- ght to cast doubt on No- previously availed themsel- pandemic. using coronavirus as their
ted. vember’s election and the ves of absentee voting, but Democrats have pushed to means to try to institute
Experts assess that delays expected pandemic-indu- Trump has sought to dif- include billions of dollars in universal mail-in voting,
in counting mail-in ballots ced surge in mail-in and ferentiate that from a gro- the next coronavirus relief which means sending eve-
could mean results won’t absentee voting. He has wing push by states to mail bill to fund election security ry registered voter a ballot
be known on Election Day. called remote voting opti- all registered voters either and accessibility improve- whether they asked for one
Trump’s suggestion of de- ons the “biggest risk” to his ballots or absentee request ments for this year’s vote, or not. “
laying the vote came just reelection. His campaign forms. but Trump and Republicans Trump has said the up-
minutes after the govern- and the Republican Party Speaking at Rep. John Le- have so far resisted those coming vote will be “the
ment reported that the U.S. have sued to combat the wis’s funeral in Atlanta, efforts. Democratic House most corrupt election” in
economy shrank at a dizzy- practice, which was once former President Barack Speaker Nancy Pelosi re- U.S. history and has refused
ing 32.9% annual rate in the a significant advantage for Obama implicitly addres- plied to Trump’s tweet by to commit to accept the
April-June quarter, by far the GOP. sed his successor’s policies tweeting a quote from the results, recalling a similar
the worst quarterly plunge There is no evidence of on voting. Constitution assigning Con- threat he made weeks be-
ever, as the coronavirus widespread voter fraud “There are those in power gress the power to set the fore the 2016 election.
outbreak shut down busi- through mail-in voting and doing their darnedest to timing of elections. In April, Trump had ruled
nesses, threw tens of mil- the states that use it exclu- discourage people from Trump’s stated concern for out the prospect of trying to
lions out of work and sent sively say they have neces- voting by closing polling poll safety defies his other- change the election after
unemployment surging to sary safeguards in place to locations and targeting wise aggressive push to Democratic rival Joe Biden
14.7%. ensure that a hostile foreign minorities and students “reopen” the nation from predicted Trump would do
With just over three months actor doesn’t disrupt the with restrictive ID laws partial shutdowns meant so. “I’m not thinking about
until Election Day, Trump vote. Election security ex- and attacking our voting to slow the spread of the it at all,” Trump said. “Not
trails in the polls nationally perts say that voter fraud is rights with surgical preci- virus, even as rising con- at all.”
and across battleground rare in all forms of balloting, sion, even undermining the firmed coronavirus cases And in March, Trump op-
states, and some surveys including by mail. postal service in the run up and deaths have pushed posed moves by several
even suggest traditionally Most states are still finalizing to an election that’s going the U.S. to the top of the list states to delay their presi-
Republican-leaning sta- their plans for November. A to be dependent on mail-in for the world outbreak. dential primaries because
tes could be in play. While small number of states sent ballots so people don’t get Hogan Gidley, the Trump of the coronavirus.q