Donald Trump was corrected by Fox News host Laura Ingraham on his claims about voter fraud at a town hall in South Carolina on Tuesday.
Speaking in a pre-recorded town hall broadcast on February 20, the former president said that when mail-in voting systems are used, “fraud is automatic.” In response, Ingraham said, “Florida has mail-in voting, and you won big.”
context
Trump continues to claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him, but there is no evidence of this. He repeatedly claimed in the run-up to the election that the use of mail-in voting led to fraud. “As far as ballots go, this is a disaster,” he said in September 2020.
newsweek requested comment from President Trump’s press secretary via email after hours.
what we know
“Just like when you go into a polling place in a properly run state, when you go to a polling place, they watch you, they show you your voter ID, they show you all kinds of identification,” Trump said. … Cheating would be very difficult.” [on] mass scale. ”
Trump defeated Biden in Florida by about 371,686 votes.
According to Pew Research data released in November 2020, about 46% of voters said they used an absentee mail-in ballot to vote in the presidential election.
It’s not yet clear whether similar numbers can be expected in future presidential elections due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on in-person voting.
“Two-thirds of Trump supporters say they voted in person, compared to 42% of Biden supporters,” Pew Research said.
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Comments on social media showed mixed reactions to President Trump’s comments about the mail-in voting system.
“As a Democrat, I wish all Republicans would listen to Mr. Trump and never vote by mail,” said one X user.
Another said Trump “cannot prove that the fraud he still claims occurred”.
Another said, “Well, I don’t know what he’s going to do.”
Others on social media agreed with Trump. One X user wrote, “That’s common sense.”
Another added: “He’s right. Voting by mail is mail fraud.”
One source said President Trump was actually “talking about Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona.”
These states were the states where Biden had the smallest margin of victory. There is no evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 election in any of these states.
What’s next?
Republican state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia wants to limit the use of mail-in voting in Florida.
Ingolia’s SB 1752 BillThe bill, proposed in January, states that mail-in voting would be used in the following situations:
- You are expected to be absent from your county of residence on Election Day.
- Unable to vote in person due to illness or disability
- Residents/Patients of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facilities
- He is being held in prison.
Ingoglia said the bill is meant to ensure “safety nets” are in place, but critics like Florida Senate Democrat Lori Berman say the bill does not provide protection for the sick, elderly and others. They argue that it could disenfranchise voters who may need it.
rare knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom, finding common ground and finding connections.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom, finding common ground and finding connections.