Barr backs Trump on mail voting

WASHINGTON: United States Attorneygeneral William Barr said yesterday mailin ballots for the November 3 election could be vulnerable to fraud, echoing an argument President Donald Trump has made to denounce the use of voting by mail.

‘‘People trying to change the rules to this methodology, which, as a matter of logic, is very open to fraud and coercion. It’s reckless and dangerous, and people are playing with fire,’’ Barr said in an interview.

Voting by mail is not new in the US — nearly one in four voters cast presidential ballots in 2016 that way.

Experts say voter fraud of any kind is exceedingly rare in the US.

But Barr cited a 2005 report by the Commission on Federal Election Reform, chaired by former president Jimmy Carter and former secretary of state James Baker, which concluded that absentee ballots are the largest source of potential voter fraud.

A record number of mailin ballots is expected for the November 3 election due to concerns about inperson voting during the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump has accused Democrats of trying to steal the election by pushing the use of mailin voting. Democrats have said Trump and fellow Republicans are attempting to suppress the vote.

In a TV interview in North Carolina, Trump suggested voters should vote twice, once by mail and once in person, to make sure their vote was counted.

‘‘So, let them send it in and let them go vote. And if the system is as good as they say it is then obviously they won’t be able to vote [in person],’’ he said.

Voting more than once in an election is illegal.