by Julia Conley
“The degree Trump hates mail-in voting should tell you there’s something he’s scared of,” tweeted the grassroots advocacy group Stand Up América. “He’s scared of what will happen if he lets people vote.”
Stand Up America was joined by pro-democracy groups Indivisible and Let America Vote in a press call Tuesday in which the organizations condemned the president’s tweets. Sean Eldridge, president of Stand Up America, called Trump’s protests against mail-in voting—which he himself has used in past elections—”the height of hypocrisy.”
“Despite the president’s lies, you are far more likely to be struck by lightning than to commit vote-by-mail fraud in the United States of America,” Eldridge told the press. “Donald Trump votes by mail, Mike Pence votes by mail, the American people should be able to vote by mail too.”
The groups called on the Senate to pass $4 billion in election assistance funding to help expand vote-by-mail systems across the country.
“Election assistance must be a non-negotiable part of the next relief package, and we need Democrats in both chambers to use their leverage and ensure that it is included,” Eldridge said. “They cannot take no for an answer. Because the vast majority of Americans want vote by mail and no-excuse absentee ballots as an option for every voter this year.”
“The degree Trump hates mail-in voting should tell you there’s something he’s scared of. He’s scared of what will happen if he lets people vote.”
Stand Up America
On social media, Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin was among those who warned voters that the president is preparing to claim the general election is a “sham” if he loses.
Trump’s tweets followed a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee and other GOP groups challenging California’s plan to send mail-in ballots to every voter in the state.
Since before the coronavirus pandemic, Colorado, Washington, Hawaii, Oregon, and Utah all conduct elections via mail-in voting. In recent weeks other states including Michigan, Maryland, and Ohio have arranged to send paper ballots to voters for upcoming elections, following last month’s in-person primary election in Wisconsin which was linked to dozens of Covid-19 infections.
“Mail-in ballots are not some kind of new technology,” activist Delilah Asterales tweeted. “They’ve been used for decades. The Military uses them. Entire states use them. YOU used one. Get a grip. The reality is that you are scared that if it is easier to vote, more people vote…and they vote against YOU.”
Julia Conley is a Staff Writer with Common Dreams.
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