Former President Jimmy Carter came out swinging against Donald Trump’s opposition to voting by mail in a statement released by the Carter Center.
Back in April, Republicans forced Wisconsin voters to go to the polls in the middle of the pandemic to cast their ballots rather than postpone the statewide election. It backfired against the GOP, but coronavirus infections spiked afterward. And so, Democrats have been calling for a national vote-by-mail initiative that would let Americans vote from the safety of their homes and have the added benefit of giving more Americans the chance to vote and avoid common obstacles that prevent some from voting.
Of course, even though the military votes by mail and absentee votes are sent by mail, Trump whined about it and insisted that voting by mail would result in voter fraud.
Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to state wide mail-in voting. Democrats are clamoring for it. Tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for whatever reason, doesn’t work out well for Republicans. @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2020
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
Absentee Ballots are a great way to vote for the many senior citizens, military, and others who can’t get to the polls on Election Day. These ballots are very different from 100% Mail-In Voting, which is “RIPE for FRAUD,” and shouldn’t be allowed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2020
Mail in ballots substantially increases the risk of crime and VOTER FRAUD!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2020
Voter fraud is very rare and the fact is that the military has been voting by mail since the Civil War without any issues. So, expanding vote-by-mail nationwide would not result in rampant fraud.
Carter understands this, which is why he released a statement in support of the initiative in defiance of Trump.
According to The Carter Center:
The United States faces a series of critical challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic, including serious impediments to holding safe, secure, and inclusive elections in November. Many voters across the U.S. are likely to find themselves in areas where the pandemic has not abated and where the health risks involved in going to polling locations will be unacceptably high.
‘I urge political leaders across the country to take immediate steps to expand vote-by-mail and other measures that can help protect the core of American democracy – the right of our citizens to vote,’ said former President Carter.”
The Carter Center also pointed out that there are safeguards in place to prevent voter fraud, and noted that Oregon has been voting by mail statewide since 1998. Utah, a red state that voted for Trump in 2016, also votes by mail.
“I urge political leaders across the country to take immediate steps to expand vote-by-mail and other measures that can help protect the core of American democracy – the right of our citizens to vote.”
– Jimmy CarterRead the full statement. https://t.co/D194xTB7Qe
— The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) May 6, 2020
The bottom line is that voting by mail should be an option for every American, and the only reason why Trump and Republicans don’t support it is that they don’t want everyone to vote. And that’s simply un-American and un-democratic.
Featured image via screen capture
Like what you see here? Join the discussion on Facebook over at Americans For Sanity!