Donald Trump’s threat over mail voting

Donald Trump has launched a battle against mail-in voting in the November elections, which health experts say is crucial to limiting the spread of coronavirus.

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the White House on Wednesday. Picture: AFP

Donald Trump has launched a battle against mail-in voting in the November elections, which health experts say is crucial to limiting the spread of coronavirus, but which he fears would favour Democratic rival Joe Biden.

Facing an uphill fight for re-election, the US President said he would sue Nevada to block the state from allowing all its ­voters to cast ballots on November 3 via the US Postal Service.

“They’ve lost ballots. There’s fraudulent ballots,” he said. In a tweet he suggested another ­motive. Nevada using vote-by-mail makes it “impossible for ­Republicans to win the state”, Mr Trump said. “Using Covid to steal the state. See you in court!”

The 50 states each manage their own voting processes, and they have long permitted absent residents to vote by mail. Five ­already allow all their voters to mail it in.

COVID-19 remains out of control in much of the country, with more than 45,000 new cases reported every day.

Long lines at voting stations during primaries earlier this year showed the risk to voters and poll workers, who are often retirees. But instituting by-mail voting nationwide in a short ­period is a massive technological and ­logistical challenge.

Nathaniel Persily, a Stanford University Law School elections expert, estimates that 50 million to 70 million votes could be cast in November via post, and ­another 50 million in person.

That means in a short time ­localities have to get more materials and machinery prepared, and get the information and ballots to voters.

The problems were manifest in recent primaries. One congressional fight in New York is still unresolved after six weeks in part because of the Postal Service’s poor handling of ballots.

In Wisconsin in April, tens of thousands of people never ­received their mail ballots; thousands more weren’t counted ­because they were delivered late; and 23,000 were disqualified for small technical errors related to completing the form.

Mr Trump and his Republican Party appear determined to fight it. Professor Persily says more than 130 lawsuits have been filed across the country over mail-in voting.

Generally, Republicans are trying to limit the practice, arguing it raises security and fraud risks, while Democrats want fewer restrictions to make sure no one is disenfranchised.

Mr Trump, who has voted by mail, has repeatedly warned that mail-in voting will lead to massive voting fraud, a claim not supported by any evidence from states ­already offering voting by mail.

Some analysts suspect he has another purpose in attacking vote by mail — to make his supporters distrust the election process itself.

“He might be trying to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election and challenge mail-in votes if he can gain a political ­advantage,” said Rick Hasen, and election expert at University of California, Irvine. “He might be looking to make an excuse for an eventual loss.”

AFP