Trump threatens to withhold funds from Michigan over mail-in voting
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to withhold funding to Michigan, angry over the state's plan to send mail-in voting applications to all voters.
In a tweet, he claimed that Michigan would send "absentee ballots" to 7.7 million people, and, without citing any law, wrote that "this was done illegally and without authorization, by a rogue Secretary of State.”
That Secretary of State responded, writing, Hi! I also have a name, it’s Jocelyn Benson. And we sent applications, not ballots. Just like my GOP colleagues in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska and West Virginia.
Benson on Tuesday said the applications would be sent eligible voters, so no one “has to choose between their health and their right to vote.”
The question of how to conduct elections amid a coronavirus pandemic is playing out nationwide.
Last month's voting in Wisconsin was a test case, and media reports linked several new cases of the illness to in-person voting.
Despite this, President Trump has opposed efforts to boost voting by mail.
(TRUMP) "So, the problem with the mail in ballots is subject to tremendous corruption."
Although the president himself voted by mail in March.
(REPORTER/ TRUMP) "You voted by mail in Florida's election for governor last month." "Sure I can vote by mail." "How do you reconcile that?" "Because I'm allowed to. Well that's called, out of state, but you know why a vote because I happen to be in the White House. And I won't be able to go to Florida to vote."
Republicans say mail-in voting leads to fraud and favors Democrats, while Democrats say it allows a wider group of people to participate – safely - in elections.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made that point on Wednesday:
(PELOSI) “We do have a fight over funding for elections - vote by mail, which is a health issue. Vote by mail is a health issue just like food is a health issue. We cannot have people going to places that are predictably dangerous to their health."
Trump narrowly won the state of Michigan in 2016, and it will be a battleground again in 2020.
His threat to withhold aid to the state comes a day after two dams failed, forcing residents around the city of Midland to flee.
Michigan has also been hard-hit by the pandemic.
Trump has previously threatened to withhold federal coronavirus relief aid from states, particularly Democratic ones, unless they cooperated with his administration’s immigration policies.
