[EL] GOP pushes absentee ballot applications and Trump condems "mail in balloting"

Mon Apr 13 05:10:35 PDT 2020

Trevor, agreed. 

I am not saying absentee balloting is fraud free and reasonable measures need to be in place there to protect the integrity of elections. For instance, in state with voter ID, a reasonable measure would be to require the application to be accompanied by a copy of the voter's ID.
But I have become convinced that  no-excuse absentee balloting is a good compromise.  Jim Bopp
In a message dated 4/13/2020 7:49:30 AM US Eastern Standard Time, tpotter at capdale.com writes:
There is another difference between the two regimes Jim describes — perhaps a compromise— in which “no-excuse “ absentee ballot requests are mailed to every voter , so that those who wish to vote by mail may easily request a ballot. Several states are heading down this path...
Trevor Potter

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________________________________
From: Law-election <law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu> on behalf of James Bopp Jr <jboppjr at aol.com>
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2020 7:32 AM
To: rhasen at law.uci.edu; law-election at uci.edu
Subject: [EL] GOP pushes absentee ballot applications and Trump condems "mail in balloting"

This is the problem with conflating "absentee balloting" and current "mail in balloting" schemes -- it leads to partisan attacks claiming phony hypocrisy.

While both traditional "absentee balloting" and current "mail in balloting" schemes promoted by Democrats involve "mailing a ballot," this is superficial. There is at least one big substantive difference which leads Republicans and Trump to support and use absentee balloting, as the WaPo correctly points out, while opposing current "mail in balloting" schemes.

In absentee balloting, a prior application is required in order to get a ballot and that is what many GOP state parties are now promoting.

In current mail in balloting scheme, no application is needed and ballots are just mailed wholesale to all registered voters. Republican believe that this required application is a vital fraud protection measure and is an important basis for Republican's opposition.

I really think we need to understand the difference and get the terminology right. Jim Bopp

In a message dated 4/12/2020 11:55:37 PM US Eastern Standard Time, rhasen at law.uci.edu writes:

“GOP pushes voting by mail — with restrictions — as Trump attacks it as ‘corrupt’”<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110678>

Posted on April 12, 2020 3:13 pm<https://electionlawblog.org/?p=110678> by Rick Hasen<https://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

WaPo<https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-pushes-voting-by-mail--with-restrictions--as-trump-attacks-it-as-corrupt/2020/04/12/526057a4-7bf8-11ea-a130-df573469f094_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_politics&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=rss>:

The same week President Trump told the public that voting by mail is “corrupt<https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/trump-calls-vote-by-mail-efforts-corrupt/2020/04/08/ad9b3706-3072-41a3-87a6-2525ae6be436_video.html?tid=lk_inline_manual_1&itid=lk_inline_manual_1>” and “ripe for fraud<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1248031484532928514>,” his own party was sending a very different message to Republican voters in Pennsylvania.

“Voting by mail is an easy, convenient and secure way to cast your ballot,” read a mail piece the Republican National Committee distributed across the Keystone State. “Return the attached official Republican Party mail-in ballot application to avoid lines and protect yourself from large crowds on Election Day.”

Despite the president’s rhetoric, state party leaders across the country are aggressively urging their voters to cast ballots by mail, GOP officials confirm. In addition, Republican officeholders in at least 16 states that do not have all-mail elections are encouraging people to vote absentee during the ongoing coronavirus<https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/02/28/what-you-need-know-about-coronavirus/?tid=lk_inline_manual_3&itid=lk_inline_manual_3> pandemic, according to a tally by The Washington Post.

Ohio SOS LaRose<https://twitter.com/FrankLaRose/status/1249378551217950720>:

[cid:Me7GJLgc6JfMlwNwDQaX]<https://twitter.com/lbischoff>

Laura Bischoff at lbischoff<https://twitter.com/lbischoff>

15h<https://twitter.com/lbischoff/status/1249311501472731138>

Ohio is currently conducting mail-in voting. Your ballot must be postmarked by April 27 to be counted. @FrankLaRose<https://twitter.com/FrankLaRose> - how do you respond to @realDonaldTrump<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump>'s statement? https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1249132374547464193 …<https://t.co/bcoj2D1cNd>

Donald J. Trump<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1249132374547464193>

✔@realDonaldTrump<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1249132374547464193>

Mail in ballots substantially increases the risk of crime and VOTER FRAUD!<https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1249132374547464193>

[cid:JNk9x0M5sgPrBktX5KMh]<https://twitter.com/FrankLaRose>

Frank LaRose<https://twitter.com/FrankLaRose>

✔@FrankLaRose<https://twitter.com/FrankLaRose>

I can tell you that’s not the case in Ohio. As I’ve said, we’re fortunate that we’ve been doing vote by mail for a long time. We know how to do it, and we know how to get it done securely.

Hope we can get back to normal for November, but we’ll be ready no matter the situation.

581<https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1249378551217950720>

9:47 AM - Apr 12, 2020<https://twitter.com/FrankLaRose/status/1249378551217950720>

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175 people are talking about this<https://twitter.com/FrankLaRose/status/1249378551217950720>

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Posted in absentee ballots<https://electionlawblog.org/?cat=53>

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