Category: Voter Fraud

Absolute false claims that Democrats win elections through voter fraud.

Trump Lays the Groundwork for More Bogus Stolen Election Claims: ‘They Cheat’

 

Former President Donald Trump has begun laying the groundwork for future claims of a rigged election ahead of the upcoming November elections. Speaking at a rally in Walker, Michigan, Trump expressed doubts about a potential loss, asserting that any defeat would be due to widespread cheating, a claim he has made numerous times since the 2020 elections. He stated, “If we lose, the next time we’re gonna have the same group of people in Caracas, Venezuela because it’s much safer than any place in our country if she wins. Much safer,” referencing Vice President Kamala Harris and continuing his pattern of baseless allegations against immigrants and crime rates.

Trump’s assertion that he could only lose due to cheating resonates with his supporters, who have previously engaged in violent acts, such as the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. His rhetoric at the rally reflects a longstanding narrative that he has pushed since 2016, where he claimed that illegal voting had deprived him of the popular vote victory. This pattern of rhetoric is critical to understanding Trump’s ongoing influence within the Republican Party and among his voter base.

As he continues to propagate these unfounded claims, Trump has also been encouraging law enforcement to be vigilant against alleged voter fraud. At another event, he urged police officers to monitor polling places, suggesting that their presence could intimidate potential fraud. This approach raises significant concerns about the implications for voter intimidation and the integrity of the electoral process.

Critics argue that Trump’s rhetoric not only undermines trust in democratic institutions but also poses a threat to public safety. The Attorney General of Michigan has initiated legal proceedings against individuals involved in a fake elector scheme stemming from the 2020 election, highlighting the ongoing repercussions of Trump’s claims and the organized efforts to challenge legitimate electoral outcomes.

In summary, Trump’s continued allegations about election fraud are not only a repeat of his past rhetoric but also serve to mobilize his base ahead of the upcoming elections. This strategy has far-reaching implications for the political landscape, as it fosters an environment of distrust and potential violence, reminiscent of the events that transpired on January 6, 2021. The responsibility lies not only with Trump but also with Republican leaders and media outlets, such as Fox News, that amplify these narratives without scrutiny.

 

Trump’s Authoritarian Threats of Jail Time for Election ‘Cheaters’ Expose Dangerous Intentions

In a recent rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin, former President Donald Trump threatened severe legal repercussions for those he claims would ‘cheat’ in the upcoming election, promising long prison sentences for any perceived electoral misconduct. This alarming declaration reflects Trump’s persistent narrative of widespread voter fraud, a baseless assertion he has clung to since losing the 2020 election. Despite numerous court rulings and bipartisan affirmations of the election’s legitimacy, Trump continues to fuel doubts about electoral integrity, creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation ahead of the November elections.

Trump’s warnings extend to various groups, including lawyers, political operatives, and election officials, indicating a willingness to wield his presidential power as a means of retribution against opponents. This strategy suggests an authoritarian approach to governance, where dissent is not tolerated, and political enemies are threatened with prosecution. Such tactics are reminiscent of despotic regimes, where the legal system is weaponized to suppress opposition.

At the same rally, Trump reiterated his claims of being targeted by the Biden administration, alleging that the Department of Justice is conspiring to imprison him for exposing their corruption. However, these claims lack any substantiation, with independent investigations and court rulings consistently refuting his narrative of victimization. Trump’s refusal to accept the outcome of the 2020 election and his ongoing legal troubles only serve to highlight his desperate attempts to maintain influence and evade accountability.

In a bid to distract from his legal issues and the impending debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump has resorted to incendiary rhetoric and nostalgic appeals to his 2016 campaign themes, such as ‘draining the swamp.’ Despite having occupied the presidency for four years, he continues to portray himself as an outsider fighting against a corrupt political establishment, which is disingenuous at best.

As the election approaches, Trump’s threats of retribution raise significant concerns about the integrity of American democracy. His willingness to use the power of the presidency to pursue vendettas against perceived enemies undermines the rule of law and sets a dangerous precedent for future administrations. Harris campaign representatives have warned that a second Trump presidency would likely involve the politicization of the justice system, further eroding trust in democratic institutions.

(h/t: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/trump-threatens-long-prison-sentences-for-those-who-cheat-in-the-election-if-he-wins)

William Barr’s Misleading Claims on Voter Fraud Undermine Democracy

Attorney General William Barr has recently echoed the baseless claims of voter fraud and mail-in voting irregularities that have been propagated by President Donald Trump. His misleading assertions have alarmed civil rights advocates who are concerned about the potential erosion of public confidence in the electoral process. Barr’s statements, which include unfounded fears about widespread fraud and foreign interference in mail-in voting, have been thoroughly debunked by election experts. The rhetoric not only mirrors Trump’s unfounded allegations but also jeopardizes the integrity of the Justice Department’s role in protecting voting rights.

In a disconcerting interview, Barr claimed that mail-in voting would lead to the loss of a ‘secret vote’ and suggested that postal workers could be bribed to commit election fraud. This assertion is fundamentally flawed; mail-in ballots are secured through identity verification processes that prevent such misconduct. Experts have pointed out that ballots are tracked and audited to ensure their legitimacy, thus nullifying Barr’s claims of rampant fraud.

Furthermore, Barr’s suggestion that foreign entities could counterfeit mail ballots is equally unfounded. Numerous safeguards are in place to protect the integrity of American elections, including specific paper stock for ballots and signature verification processes. Experts have overwhelmingly dismissed the idea that foreign powers could easily infiltrate the voting system, emphasizing that such operations would be complex and easily detectable.

Additionally, Barr’s claim that the U.S. has not previously engaged in widespread mail voting ignores the reality that several states have successfully conducted elections primarily through mail for years without significant issues. Misleading statements about the reliability of voter rolls and the prevalence of fraud undermine the progress made in expanding voting access, particularly during a pandemic.

The damage done by Barr’s rhetoric is compounded by the fact that it aligns with disinformation campaigns previously launched by foreign adversaries aimed at destabilizing U.S. democracy. As civil rights advocates rally against these baseless claims, they stress the importance of maintaining public trust in the electoral system, which is currently threatened by the Attorney General’s unfounded assertions.

(h/t: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1240144)

Trump’s Fraud Claims Refuted by Pennsylvania Election Chief

During the recent presidential debate, Donald Trump falsely claimed that nine mail-in ballots from Pennsylvania were evidence of election fraud, alleging they were discarded. However, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State, Kathy Boockvar, clarified that the discarded ballots were the result of a mistake made by an election worker, not intentional fraud. She emphasized that an investigation is ongoing, led by U.S. Attorney Dave Freed, but initial findings indicate this was simply a procedural error.

Boockvar explained that the incident occurred in Luzerne County, where military and overseas ballots were found in unmarked envelopes. In this case, an unnamed election worker failed to follow proper procedures and did not consult with the elections office before disposing of the ballots. The worker has since been terminated, and the state’s Department of State is implementing further training to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

The Department of Justice has confirmed that the discarded ballots were not evidence of fraud. Seven of the discarded ballots were completed and all were cast for Trump, according to Freed. The FBI also retrieved additional empty absentee ballot envelopes during their investigation. It remains unclear whether those nine votes will be counted.

Critics have pointed out that Trump’s claims serve to further his narrative of widespread voter fraud, a tactic that undermines public confidence in the electoral process. Kristen Clarke, Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, criticized the investigation as a politicization of the Justice Department in the midst of an active election.

This incident highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding mail-in voting procedures, particularly as the 2020 presidential election approaches. Election experts continue to stress the security of mail-in voting, countering Trump’s unfounded assertions that such voting methods lead to systemic fraud.

(h/t: https://www.forbes.com/sites/elanagross/2020/09/30/pennsylvania-election-chief-refutes-trumps-claim-that-nine-discarded-ballots-were-election-fraud/)

Trump’s Baseless Claims on Mail-in Voting in Debate

During the recent presidential debate, President Donald Trump made several unfounded claims regarding mail-in voting, suggesting that mail carriers are “selling ballots” and that ballots have been “dumped in rivers.” These statements are part of an ongoing campaign to undermine confidence in the electoral process, particularly concerning mail-in ballots.

Election experts have countered Trump’s assertions, emphasizing the security and historical reliability of mail-in voting. Lawrence Norden, director of the Election Reform Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, stated that Trump’s claims are riddled with inaccuracies and that mail-in ballots have been used safely in the U.S. since the Civil War.

In one specific instance, Trump referenced an investigation into discarded military ballots in Pennsylvania, claiming that seven of the nine ballots found were for him. However, the FBI clarified that there was no evidence of a coordinated voter fraud scheme related to this incident. Similarly, Trump’s claims about ballots being found in “creeks” were linked to a non-issue involving trays of mail that were mistakenly misplaced during transit.

West Virginia officials refuted Trump’s claims regarding mail fraud in their state, clarifying that a recent case involved a postal worker altering voter registration applications—not ballots themselves. The state’s Secretary of State reassured voters about the integrity of the election process.

Overall, Trump’s statements regarding mail-in voting are not supported by factual evidence, and experts advise that his rhetoric poses a threat to the democratic process by casting undue doubt on the legitimacy of elections.

(h/t: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/09/30/2020-debate-trump-makes-outrageous-claims-mail-voting/3586836001/)

Donald Trump suggests delay to 2020 US presidential election

Donald Trump has suggested November’s presidential election be postponed, saying increased postal voting could lead to fraud and inaccurate results.

He floated a delay until people could “properly, securely and safely” vote.

There is little evidence to support Mr Trump’s claims but he has long railed against mail-in voting which he has said would be susceptible to fraud.

US states want to make postal voting easier due to public health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the US constitution, Mr Trump does not have the authority to postpone the election himself. Any delay would have to be approved by Congress. The president does not have direct power over the two houses of Congress.

What did Trump say?

In a series of tweets, Mr Trump said “universal mail-in voting” would make November’s vote the “most inaccurate and fraudulent election in history” and a “great embarrassment to the USA”.

He suggested – without providing evidence – that mail-in voting, as it is known in the US, would be susceptible to foreign interference.

“The [Democrats] talk of foreign influence in voting, but they know that Mail-In Voting is an easy way for foreign countries to enter the race,” he said.

Mr Trump also said postal voting was “already proving to be a catastrophic disaster” in areas where it was being tried out.

In June, New York allowed voters to vote by post in the Democratic primary poll for the party’s presidential candidate. But there have been long delays in counting the ballots and the results are still unknown.

US media report that there are also concerns that many ballots will not be counted because they were not filled in correctly or do not have postmarks on them that show they were sent before voting officially ended.

However, several other states have long conducted votes by post.

Donald Trump can’t delay November’s presidential election without Congress, partially controlled by the Democrats, first approving the decision. If he didn’t already know this, someone has certainly told him by now.

The president also must know that tweeting about a delay – even framed as an “I’m just asking!” question – is sure to ignite a political firestorm, particularly after he has repeatedly refused to say whether he’d accept an adverse result in the upcoming presidential election.

Mr Trump appears to be doing everything in his power to undermine the credibility of November’s vote, in which a record number of Americans are predicted to rely on mail-in voting to avoid the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. He’s repeatedly made false and misleading claims about the reliability of the mail balloting and suggested broad conspiracy theories. Critics warn that he could be laying the groundwork for contesting the results – although the purpose may be simply to give him a scapegoat if he loses.

His tweet could also be an attempt to divert attention away from the truly dismal second-quarter economic numbers just released. He’s been relying on a financial turnaround to breathe life into his re-election campaign, and instead the outlook appears exceedingly gloomy.

Whatever the reason, tweeting about an election delay is not the move of a candidate confident of victory – and could be a sign of more desperate moves to come.

[BBC]

Trump says voting by mail will ‘lead to the end’ of the Republican Party

On Thursday evening, in an all-caps tweet, President Donald Trump once again attacked early voting — this time going so far to say that it could “lead to the end of our great Republican Party.”

Contrary to Trump’s claim, studies have shown that voting by mail does not actually benefit one party over the other.

Indeed, some solidly Republican states, like Utah, make extensive use of mail-in ballots, as do some swing states Republicans frequently win like Florida — where the president himself cast a mail-in ballot.

[Raw Story]

Trump Steps Up Attacks on Mail Vote, Making False Claims About Fraud

President Trump on Wednesday escalated his assault against mail voting, falsely claiming that Michigan and Nevada were engaged in voter fraud and had acted illegally, and threatening to withhold federal funds to those states if they proceed in expanding vote-by-mail efforts.

The president inaccurately accused the two states of sending mail ballots to its residents. In fact, the secretaries of state in Michigan and Nevada sent applications for mail ballots, as election officials have done in other states, including those led by Republicans.

The Twitter posts were the latest in a series of broadsides the president has aimed at a process that has become the primary vehicle for casting ballots in an electoral system transformed by the coronavirus pandemic.

As most states largely abandon in-person voting because of health concerns, Mr. Trump, along with many of his Republican allies, have launched a series of false attacks to demonize mail voting as fraught with fraud and delivering an inherent advantage to Democratic candidates — despite there being scant evidence for either claim.

“Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election,” the president tweeted Wednesday morning. “This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!”

An hour later he made a similar threat against Nevada, saying the state had created “a great Voter Fraud scenario” and adding “If they do, ‘I think’ I can hold up funds to the State.”

Mr. Trump’s outbursts come as the White House and his re-election campaign are confronting polls showing the president trailing his Democratic rival, Joseph R. Biden Jr., both nationally and in key swing states.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment or elaboration.Mr. Trump has often made threats about cutting off funding to states but has not always followed through. He has threatened in the past to withhold federal funds to sanctuary cities. Last month, he said he wanted Democratic states to give him “sanctuary-city adjustments” in exchange for federal financial relief. He has not yet followed through on the threat.

Michigan’s secretary of state, Jocelyn Benson, quickly clarified on Wednesday that the state is not mailing ballots to all Michigan voters. On Wednesday she began mailing ballot applications to all registered voters.

“I was notified about the tweet this morning and it caught me off guard because it of course was inaccurate,” Ms. Benson, a Democrat, said in an interview. “It is nothing different from my Republican colleagues in other states are doing. It boggles my mind, that this, which is completely within my authority, would in any way be seen as controversial.”

Ms. Benson said she has already spent $4.5 million in federal CARES Act funding to mail voters ballot applications, which are also available online. She had previously sent absentee ballot applications to all voters for the state’s local elections on May 5.

Michigan voters who apply for absentee ballots for the August statewide primary for House and Senate races may also opt in to receive ballots for the November general election.

The president’s attack on Nevada is particularly confounding, given that the state’s effort to switch to a nearly-all-mail election was made by Secretary of State Barbara K. Cegavske, a Republican. Democrats have sued Ms. Cegavske to block her effort to close nearly all of the state’s in-person polling places for the June 9 primary and mail ballots to all registered voters.

“If it has not become apparent yet, Donald Trump makes stuff up,” said Marc Elias, the Democratic elections lawyer who is suing Ms. Cegavske to require more in-person polling places to remain open. “So I don’t think he has a particular objection other than someone has told him that he is losing in Michigan and in Nevada so today he decided to tweet about Michigan and Nevada.”

Ms. Cegavske’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

The president is scheduled to visit a Ford Motor plant that is manufacturing ventilators in Ypsilanti, Mich., on Thursday. This is his first trip to the state since January, and comes at a time when his campaign advisers are increasingly concerned about his chances there. Mr. Trump’s tweets a day ahead of the trip were seen as unhelpful to boosting his political standing in a critical state, and his political opponents immediately pounced on it.

Georgia’s Republican secretary of state and municipal officials in Milwaukee have also said they will send vote-by-mail applications to registered voters in hopes of easing stress on in-person voting locations. In Wisconsin, the state’s bipartisan election commission is meeting Wednesday to decide whether to mail ballot application forms to all registered voters and more than 200,000 people who are eligible to vote but not registered.

Some state Republican parties have been actively encouraging their supporters to vote by mail. In Pennsylvania, another state that recently passed a law to move to no-excuse vote by mail, the state Republican Party has set up an online portal that helps voters understand the new law.

Many states, including Michigan and Wisconsin, also allow voters to make online requests to have absentee ballots mailed to them.

The president himself, along with the first lady, Melania Trump, voted by mail in Florida’s presidential primary in March.

Mr. Trump has long falsely asserted that absentee voting and vote by mail is rife with fraud, applying that argument into his constant complaints of “rigged elections” when he or his supported candidates are losing.

He has been casting doubts on mail voting since his first run for the presidency in 2016. During a rally in Colorado — one of the five states in the country that votes completely by mail — Mr. Trump implied without evidence that it was easy to vote twice.

Recently, Mr. Trump has been lashing out at both vote by mail and absentee voting, at first raising his allegations in April in a tweet and later decrying a decision in California to mail ballots to every voter for November as a “scam.” But the president has also been inconsistent on the issue: on the same day that he criticized the decision in California, he encouraged voters to mail in their ballots for a local congressional race.

Election experts noted that the process Mr. Trump criticized was actually a protective measure against voter fraud.

“A ballot application is returned to state officials who ensure that the information on it is accurate and the person applying for a ballot is entitled to get it,” said Richard L. Hasen, a professor at University of California, Irvine, who specializes in election law. “So it’s a safeguard.”

Mr. Hasen said that the broadsides from Mr. Trump follow a pattern of lashing out against expanding access to voting, even as there remains no evidence to support his claims.

“Trump seems to think that anything that makes it easier for people to vote is going to hurt him,” Mr. Hasen said, “and he’s consistently expressed the view that anything that makes it easier to vote leads to voter fraud when there is absolutely no evidence to support that claim.”

Though Mr. Trump did not specify which funds he was threatening to withhold from states during a pandemic, election officials and Democrats in Congress have been clamoring for more money to help hold the November elections safely.

But the money that has already been appropriated through the Help America Vote Act and the CARES Act is already “out the door” and on the way to states, according to election officials; there is no way for Mr. Trump or his administration to hold up those funds.

Mr. Elias, the elections lawyer, said Mr. Trump could seek to withhold other funds but predicted such a move would be invalidated by the courts.

“The president does not have authority to withhold funding to a state based on the idea that people in the state may vote,” he said.

Mr. Trump’s attacks on mail voting have come largely in states with little history of large numbers of people casting absentee ballots, like Wisconsin. But he has not addressed mail voting in states where it has long been popular, such as Florida and Arizona, and often used to great success by Republican campaigns. Nor has Mr. Trump denigrated mail voting in the five states — Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington — that conduct elections entirely by mail.

[The New York Times]

Trump Baselessly Claims Google ‘Manipulated’ Millions of 2016 Votes: ‘My Victory Was Even Bigger Than Thought!’

President Donald Trump claimed Monday that Google manipulated 2.6 million to 16 million votes for Sen. Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, and called for the company to be sued.

“This was put out by a Clinton supporter, not a Trump Supporter! Google should be sued,” said Trump. ” My victory was even bigger than thought!”

Trump did not link the source of his report, but he tagged conservative watch dog organization Judicial Watch. Psychologist and commentator Dr. Robert Epsteinmade similar claims while testifying before Congress in July.

Trump has repeatedly claimed he did not lose the popular vote, though reportsshow he lost the popular vote by almost 3 million in 2016.

He’s also previously blamed his popular vote loss on “illegal” votes, or those of undocumented immigrants.

[Mediaite]

Reality

Trump appears to be referring to the work of Robert Epstein, a researcher with a group based in Vista, Calif., called the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology. Epstein testified in a Senate hearing in June about what he calls the “Search Engine Manipulation Effect” and claimed that his research shows Google’s search results pushed at least 2.6 milllion people to vote for Clinton in 2016.

In 2017, Google dismissed Epstein’s research, telling The Washington Post that it amounts to “nothing more than a poorly constructed conspiracy theory.”

Trump retweets conspiracy theory alleging ‘voter fraud is real’ — even though his government never could find it

President Donald Trump is once again spreading conspiracy theories to his 63 million Twitter followers.

On Tuesday evening, the commander-in-chief retweeted Trump fanboy Charlie Kirk arguing that voter fraud is real.

The tweet in question was originally sent on April 28th.

“Voter fraud is real,” Kirk argued.

“Los Angeles county has a registration rate of 112% its adult population,” he claimed. “The entire state of California has a registration rate of 101%. 11 of 58 counties in CA have registration rates above 100%.

“Is this why California is solid blue?” he asked, with a chin-scratching emoji.

Trump has long had a fixation on voter fraud. He inaccurately claimed that he only lost the popular vote in 2016 because of fraud. So in May of 2017, he created a commission to study the issue and appointed Vice President Mike Pence and then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to investigate.

The commission disbanded in January of 2018 and later that year Kobach lost his bid to be governor of Kansas.

[Raw Story]

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