US President Donald Trump is seeking reelection in November. He wants a second term in the White House but is worried about postal voting. In view of the prevalent coronavirus and restrictions on large gatherings, the voting could be by mail from home. Trump feels that option could lead to a “fraudulent” result. He claimed the result would be a “great embarrassment to the USA” and suggested a postponement even though he does not have any power to implement it.
The power to set an election date rests with Congress, not the president. This is as per the constitution of the United States. His intention is to postpone the election until people can vote in a safe, secure, and proper environment. However, experts and critics alike have rejected it, as have high-profile members of the Republican Party.
The Guardian quotes Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York saying: “He’s always trying to divert attention from his overwhelming failure on Covid … And it’s not going to happen.” Chuck is the Senate minority leader and he made these remarks to a section of the media.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House speaker also explained the approved procedure and quoted the US constitution in this regard.
Trying times for Donald Trump
The suggestion of Donald Trump, who is eying a second term as President, did not find favor with Congressional Republicans. They tried to distance themselves from the suggestion. In the words of Mitch McConnell, the election date was firm and was “set in stone.” He is the Senate majority leader and he said this to a TV channel. Senator Marco Rubio also confirmed about the election in November. The secretary of state, Mike Pompeo did not give any positive reaction but appeared to evade questions on whether the president could delay the election.
He left it to The Department of Justice and others. Incidentally, recent polls indicate winds blowing in favor of Joe Biden of the Democratic Party, the man to take on Donald Trump. It is natural that the incumbent president is worried because polls indicate the mood of the voters.
Donald Trump feels postal voting could give inaccurate results
According to The BBC, Donald Trump suggests to delay the presidential election in November and conduct it when the situation improves and is more favorable for the security and safety of voters. He has never supported mail-in voting because he feels such a method could lead to fraud and inaccurate results. He even dropped hints that such a vote would be susceptible to foreign interference.
However, he has not provided any evidence to back up his line of thinking. Concern over public health, related to the coronavirus pandemic, is the main reason for the US states to go in for postal voting. The President cited the example of the Democratic primary poll for the party's presidential candidate. It was held in June in New York where voters had the option of postal voting. The exercise led to delays in counting the ballots and the results are still unknown. There are also instances of invalid votes because of minor issues like the incorrect entry of data, non-availability of postmarks etcetera. However, the fact remains that several other states have long conducted votes by post. Hence, the fear of fraud or involvement of foreign elements are unfounded.
Democrats want to deny Donald Trump a second term
In June, the Democratic Party named Joe Biden the official nominee to face Donald Trump in November. Biden emerged the winner from a large number of hopefuls who wanted to take over the reins of the White House from the Republicans. Subsequently, in a comeback rally, Donald Trump was disappointed to face empty seats in Tulsa. That must have come as a major setback. A poll in July saw Donald Trump trailing behind Joe Biden. It is already August and anything could happen between now and November when the day of reckoning arrives.