Delay the election? Centre County, Pa. elected officials respond to Trump tweet on mail-in voting
President Donald Trump is no stranger to controversy online, but a Thursday tweet about the 2020 election and mail-in voting prompted swift pushback from Pennsylvania and Centre County leaders.
“With universal mail-in voting (not absentee voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most inaccurate and fraudulent election in history,” Trump tweeted Thursday morning. “It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”
This isn’t the first time the president has made unsubstantiated claims that mail-in ballots heighten the chance of voter fraud, but this marks the first time he has suggested the November general election be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro called Trump’s assertions “a lie” on Twitter, adding that he is fighting the president’s attempt to “suppress the vote in Pennsylvania.”
“The comments from the White House this morning regarding mail-in voting are false. Full stop,” Centre County Controller Jason Moser wrote on Twitter. “This and discussion of delaying the election is dangerous rhetoric for the integrity of our elections and instability of our democracy.”
The June primary election marked the first in which Pennsylvania voters could vote by mail. More than 19,000 Centre County voters cast their ballot by mail in June, according to county election data.
Prior to the June election, Centre County Commissioner Michael Pipe publicly disagreed with a claim made by Trump, who said mail-in voting was not secure. Pipe reiterated his stance again Thursday.
“When more voters cast their ballots the chorus of our American democracy swells with a sweeter song of freedom, liberty, and justice,” Pipe wrote. “Today’s tweet from President Trump was his worst yet when it comes to his efforts to suppress the vote. Imagine how ugly it’s going to get as we approach November.”
Trump’s proposal to postpone the election, which is less than 100 days away, is not a decision he is constitutionally empowered to enforce. Only Congress has the power to delay an election, House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, D-California, reminded the president in a tweet that cited Article II, Section 1 of the United States Constitution.
“The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors and the day on which they shall give their votes; which day shall be the same throughout the United States,” it states.
United States Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, said Thursday that the election date will not change, but the congressman suggested potential flaws with the mail-in voting system.
“There are undoubtedly great challenges facing elections, especially in Pennsylvania, which passed new voting laws last year with no way of anticipating a pandemic,” Thompson said in a statement. “While Congress is not going to move the election, the president is correct to suggest unmonitored mail-in voting is a recipe for abuse, which must be more transparent and verifiable in order to conduct a truly free and fair election.”
Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, said he and his colleagues are working to ensure a safe and secure general election and assumes it will be held as planned Nov. 3.
“We have some concerns with the heavy promotion of voting absentee and drop boxes, which were not authorized by the state,” Corman said, adding that he expects results will be delayed due to the volume of ballots cast by mail.
Jason Gottesman, spokesman for House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, said the legislator is “fully anticipating” the general election to proceed as scheduled on Nov. 3. He added that state Republicans are working to ensure a secure process.
“Seeing how our recent election reforms were implemented during the primary, the House Republican Caucus is prioritizing a new look at our state’s election laws to ensure our elections are conducted fairly and safely with the results reported in a timely manner,” Gottesman wrote in an email. “Our members are currently vetting a number of proposals toward that end.”
To apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot, residents must be registered to vote. The deadline to apply for an application in Pennsylvania is Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. All ballots must be received by their county election office by Nov. 3 at 8 p.m.
This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 3:21 PM.
