Trump suggests polling place double-check for mail-in voters
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that people who vote early by mail should show up at their local polling places on Election Day and vote again if their ballots haven’t been counted, a suggestion that experts said would lead to chaos, long lines and more work for election officials during a public health crisis.
In tweets, Trump encouraged voters to go to their polling site to “see whether or not your Mail In Vote has been Tabulated (Counted). If it has you will not be able to Vote & the Mail In System worked properly.”
But information on whether a ballot has been counted is typically not available right away. In several states, absentee ballots aren’t even counted until after polls close. What can be checked is whether an absentee ballot has been received, and in some cases, whether it has passed a security review and will be submitted for counting.
Election officials warned that a flood of voters showing up on Nov. 3 to check the status of their ballots would mean even more disruption during the coronavirus outbreak and lengthy waits. Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said it also could undermine public health efforts.
The board “strongly discourages” people from following the president’s guidance, Brinson Bell said in a statement. “That is not necessary, and it would lead to longer lines and the possibility of spreading COVID-19.”
Trump’s latest remarks raising questions about the integrity of mail voting came the same day that the Department of Homeland Security sent a memo to election officials warning that “Russia is likely to continue amplifying criticisms of vote- by- mail and shifting voting processes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to undermine public trust in the electoral process,” according to an official familiar with the memo but not authorized to speak publicly.
It’s the latest warning by U. S. officials that Russia may be using some of the same criticisms as Trump.