Concerned about widespread voter fraud, 74-year-old President Donald Trump warned that mail-in ballots could take months to count. Six weeks after primary voting in New York State, the votes are still not in from absentee and mail-in votes, giving Trump the perfect X-ray on what could happen Nov. 3 if state governors and secretaries of state approve mail-in ballots. New York’s June 23 primary, where tens-of-thousands of mail-in ballots were either lost or improperly post-marked, causing massive delays, as authorities point fingers at each other. Prospects of the same thing happening on a national scale raise the worst nightmare imaginable about how the Nov. 3. U.S. election could be forever tainted, if the post office can’t handle influx of millions of mail-in ballots, not to mention time delays in counting ballots. What happened to Bush v. Gore in 2000 could be Mickey Mouse in comparison to Nov. 3
Whatever the dangers of going to the polls with masks and social distancing, it could be a lot better than universal mail-in ballots proposed by some governors around the country. Democrats accuse Trump of a new version of Jim Crow laws making it impossible to blacks and other minorities to vote Nov. 3. Former President Barack Obama at Rep. John Lewis’s July 28 funeral used his time to accuse Trump of re-instituting Jim Crow to prevent African Americans from voting. But the actual situation in New York gives a glimpse before it’s too late to see the pitfalls of universal mail-in voting where anything can happen between a postal box, the post office and collecting ballots for secretaries of state. Judging by what happened in New York’s July 23 primary there’s no reason to assume things would be any different on a national scale, only 50 times worse and more complex.
Trump expressed no reservation about absentee ballots, where proper registration takes place before ballots are sent in the mail. But when it comes to universal mail-in ballots, Trump contends there’s no way to check who’s getting what. “We went through WW I, you went to the polls, you voted. We went through WW II, you went to the polls, you voted. And now because of the China virus, we’re supposed to stay home, send million of ballots all over the country, millions and millions,” Trump said. “You could have a case where this election won’t be decided on the evening of Nov. 3. This election could be decided two months later,” Trump said, raising real concerns about universal mail-in ballots. Democrats think that Trump objects to mail-in ballots because he’s trying to restrict poor people from voting. But the real concern involves what happened recently in New York state but far worse.
Republican National Committee [RNC] has filed lawsuits against several states imposing universal mail-in ballots without giving voters the options of going to regular polling places. “It could be decided many months later,” Trump warned about mail-in ballots. “Do you know why? Because lots of things will happen during that period of time. Especially when you have tight margins, lots of things can happen. There’s never been anything like this . . . Now, of course, right now we have to live with it, but we’re challenging it,” Trump said. Sending out universal mail-in ballots runs the risk of “ballot harvesting,” ballots going to dead people or ballots going to people who moved or ballots, like in New York, getting lost in the mail. Democrat governors advocating universal mail-in ballots dismiss the concerns as overblown. Concerns about the Post Office getting overwhelmed are real.
If present election trends continue, the Nov. 3 election could be very close, like it was the last time around. With the country very divided, it’s doubtful Democrats will get the whopping victory against Trump they’re predicting. Mail-in ballots could make things worse, especially if lost ballots and postal delays make counting the vote next to impossible on Nov. 3. Democrats like to cite studies showing that there’s insignificant levels of voter fraud. Yet Democrats also know that universal mail-in ballots has never been tried on the scale proposed in November. “Post Office could never handle the increased numbers of ballots “without preparation” Trump tweeted, perhaps underplaying the complications that could result in November. Voter fraud probably isn’t the major concern to universal mail-in ballots: Dealing with a Post Service stretched to the breaking point could present more problems.
When the dust settled after Bush v. Gore in 2000, tens-of-thousands of uncounted ballots were found in dumpsters in West Palm Beach, suggesting that Florida election officials invalidated the results. How many mail-in ballots will be fraudulently tossed out in November’s vote is anyone’s guess. With mail-in ballots the risk of a grossly inaccurate count is far greater that ballots dispensed in certified polling stations. “The comments made by President Trump and RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel regarding Assembly Bill 4 are disgraceful and patently false,” said Nevada Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson. Democrat presumptive nominee former Vice President Joe Biden accused Trump of trying to “steal the election.” With both sides posturing, it’s difficult to tell how it’ll go in November. One thing’s for sure: U.S. elections are in uncharted water.
