The president alleged widespread fraud without evidence even as he said Republicans could vote by mail. He also criticized Maricopa County after a contractor mistakenly mailed 3,126 ballots early.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Oct. 5 that Republicans could vote by mail or in person in the Nov. 3 congressional midterm elections, while again claiming without evidence that mail voting was rife with fraud. He has urged voters to cast ballots early by any method despite repeatedly alleging fraud in mail voting.
Trump also criticized Arizona’s Maricopa County after election vendor Runbeck Election Services mistakenly mailed 3,126 early ballots six days ahead of schedule. The county recorder said the ballots went to the correct voters, remain valid and do not need to be replaced; no voters were adversely affected. Trump called the county dishonest and said there had been no error.
Reuters separately reported Trump’s appeal to supporters to vote by mail despite his past fraud claims. ABC News, citing sources, reported that Trump met at the White House with Tina Peters, a former Mesa County, Colorado, clerk convicted in a state case involving an attempt to access voting systems while seeking evidence of 2020 election fraud. She was released from prison in June after Gov. Jared Polis granted clemency.
The Trump administration has challenged mail-ballot rules in court. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected its emergency appeal, allowing states to continue preparing to send ballots before the midterms. The Maricopa incident concerned the timing of a mailing; the recorder’s office said the ballots themselves were correct and valid.