Barack Obama shades Donald Trump again, says mail-in voting SHOULD be allowed after POTUS shoots down idea
Former president Barack Obama has been more visible when it comes to opposing his successor -- the incumbent president Donald Trump -- ahead of the 2020 election. From the latter’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic to race relations to administrative issues -- the Democratic leader has spoken up without directly mentioning the maverick commander-in-chief’s name. On Monday, July 13, Obama expressed his thoughts again and this time he nullified Trump’s claim that mail-in voting would lead to fraud.
President Trump has been opposing the idea of voting by mail, saying it would not be an ideal democratic exercise. The idea has gained traction as the US faces a massive crisis because of the pandemic which has hit more than 3.3 million people in the country and killed over 135,000.
Obama, 58, tweeted in favor of voting by mail saying: “Voting by mail shouldn't be a partisan issue – especially during a pandemic. Everybody should be able to request an absentee ballot, and make their voice heard in every election.” He also linked an National Public Radio article along with his tweet that also played down the fraud factor in mail-in voting.
While Trump and Attorney General William Barr have spoken against mail-in voting, The Washington Post came up with an analysis last month that showed a number of presidential aides besides the president himself have voted by mail in the past. Trump voted absentee in New York in 2018 and also in Florida primary in March this year despite being present in the area. Barr also voted absentee in Virginia in 2012 and 2019. But they are opposing the idea of doing the same during the general election even as chances of a spike in the coronavirus become higher if people physically appear to cast ballots.
Trump clashed with Twitter over mail-in voting
In May, one of Trump’s tweets against mail-in voting was blue-flagged by Twitter on the basis of fact-checking, annoying the president who accused the social media giant of interfering in the election.
“There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent. Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed,” Trump said in his tweet then and Twitter alerted the readers that they could click to find out ‘the facts about mail-in ballots’.
Trump has also alleged that such a system of voting would harm the Republican Party. The GOP, however, is worried that Trump’s rhetoric could see many of its potential voters not turning up for the polls, especially the elderly ones who are a traditionally conservative vote bank. Many states have expanded opportunities to vote absentee in the wake of the pandemic, with many either getting rid of or relaxing requirements.
Obama, who endorsed his former deputy Joe Biden for the presidency in April and recently appeared with him on for a virtual event that raised funds more than $11 million for the latter’s campaign, has been more active in the run-up to the general election. He has been taking indirect digs at his controversial successor over issues that have helped the Democratic Party to steal more limelight ahead of the high-prestige battle.