Trump claims mail-in ballots ‘will be printed by foreign countries’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Trump took to Twitter on Monday to once again rail against the push by nearly 30 states to increase in voting by mail – charging that “Because of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, 2020 will be the most RIGGED Election in our nation's history.”
The president for months has repeatedly charged that expanded balloting by mail -- due to health concerns over in-person voting at polling stations amid the coronavirus pandemic -- would lead to “massive” voter fraud. But Trump has not followed up his numerous claims that voting by mail leads to voter fraud and favors Democrats over Republicans with concrete proof.
TRUMP SAYS SURGE IN VOTING BY MAIL IS 'BIGGEST RISK'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But on Monday, the president spotlighted a new concern, charging "RIGGED 2020 ELECTION: MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS WILL BE PRINTED BY FOREIGN COUNTRIES, AND OTHERS. IT WILL BE THE SCANDAL OF OUR TIMES!"
The president, in another tweet, pointed to an article highlighting recent comments by Attorney General William Barr that expanding mail-in voting "absolutely opens the floodgates to fraud.”
Election experts do say that voting by mail is more susceptible to fraud than casting a ballot in person, but they’ve seen no evidence of widespread fraud or that absentee balloting favors Democrats. And the accusations by the attorney general and the president were rejected by some election officials and experts.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}THE LATEST FROM FOX NEWS ON THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
“That info is FALSE. There is zero evidence to support it, and states have many protections in place to prevent rigging of mail ballots,” tweeted David Becker, founder of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research.
Elections expert Michael Li told Fox News, “It just can’t happen. There’s all kind of security built into the mail-ballot process.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Every envelope has a unique bar code so when you send it back in, they scan it. It literally would be impossible for a foreign country to duplicate bar codes and have them match up with what’s in the election computers. It’s a preposterous claim,” noted Li, senior counsel at the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice's Democracy Program.
He also pointed out that “in most states you have to sign the envelope and your signature is matched against the signature on record, an additional security feature.”
And National Association of Secretaries of State communications director Maria (Dill) Benson told Fox News in a statement, “We are not aware of any evidence supporting the claims made by President Trump. As always, we are open to learning more about the Administration’s concerns.”