Suspicious Guidelines from Trump’s Assistant Postmaster

US President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden are challenging re-election. [AP, 로이터=연합뉴스]

As the US presidential election approaches, concerns and conflicts about “post-voting by mail” are mounting. While US President Donald Trump raised the possibility of manipulating mail ballots, Attorney General William Bar also revealed a similar perspective in an interview with CNN on the 3rd (local time). Minister Bar said that, referring to a 2005 Federal Electoral Reform Commission report, “absentee voting (vote by mail) was assessed as having the greatest possibility of manipulation.”

Experts say voting by mail is unlikely to lead to a fraudulent election. However, there is a presidential election strategy that is unfavorable for the elections behind President Trump’s opposition to voting by mail, even saying ‘post-office budget cuts’. States are expanding mail-in votes due to concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19), and in that case, President Trump is concerned that the Democratic Party will gain an advantage by increasing the turnout of people from color.

A mailbox of the house installed in front of the patio. [픽사베이]

The hearts of the voters are also complicated. According to an American media Vox report on the 2nd, Republican-oriented voters have recently begun to show doubts about the fairness of the vote by mail due to the influence of President Trump. On the other hand, Democratic voters appeared to be concerned that President Trump would undermine a fair mail vote and disapprove of the election results.

According to polls such as Data for Progress, a group of progressive think tanks, 60% of Americans believe that the Federal Post Office (USPS) should commit to the public interest.

In particular, 74% of Democratic supporters and 45% of Republicans support the essential and public function of the Federal Post Office. It has been a long time since it has faced a financial crisis due to the decrease in mail imports, but it is still necessary to carry out a fundamental public mission for society, rather than seeking profit.

US President Donald Trump speaks to supporters after arriving at Armold Palmer Airport in La Trobe, Pennsylvania on the 3rd (local time). [AP=연합뉴스]

This also means that although it costs more, it should help the federal post office treat and process the presidential ballot mail as a top priority. 74% of voters said they left the political faction and said the state should give priority to voting by mail, even at all costs.

Among Republican supporters, more and more people, influenced by President Trump’s arguments, believed that a vote by mail could lead to corruption in favor of Democrats.

According to Data for Progress, 52% of voters said that ‘voting by mail is reliable’. 73% of Democratic supporters and 48% of nonpartisans said they were trustworthy, but only 32% of Republican voters. Even 62% of Republican supporters said that voting by mail could actually lead to fraudulent elections and should be restricted in this way.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden arrives at the Milwaukee, Wisconsin airport on the 3rd (local time) and is asked by reporters. Wisconsin is an area where protests are taking place over the shooting of black Jacob Blake. [AP=연합뉴스]

Supporters of the Democrats are quite concerned about the possibility of Trump interfering in the election. This is because Louis DeJoy, who took office in June, is an aide to President Trump and is suspected of delaying mail delivery by changing the post office’s business guidelines.

In July, the Associated Press reported that Dejoy changed business guidelines, saying, “Don’t work overtime and deliver mail late the next day.” This is after President Trump raised the possibility of voter fraud due to postal elections. That’s why doubts are being raised that he’s intentionally delaying mail delivery with the presidential election in mind.

49% of voters said they were concerned that President Trump and Director Djoy could interfere with the actual vote. 78% of Democratic supporters and 26% of Republicans are concerned. Dejoy rejected “no” to some concerns that it intentionally weakened the post office’s function.

In the United States, there is also a concern that the political government may be confused for a time after the presidential election due to a vote by mail. The mail is expected to be late and not everything will be reflected in the same day count, and if Biden is elected as a result of the mail ballot counting, it is highly likely that President Trump will object.

Presidential Election Results Predicted by US Data Analysts

Earlier, Joe Mendelson, CEO of Hawkfish, a Democratic data analysis firm, expressed this concern. Mendelson appeared in the news documentary ‘Axios on HBO’ operated by the American Internet media Axios the first (local time) and said: “If the counting of votes by mail is delayed, it has been shown that President Trump is before presidential election Nov. 3. “The situation where Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden can get a big victory in the vote-by-mail count,” he said. He said, “If President Trump pushes to vote from fraudulently by mail, it could cause great confusion. ”

As a result of Hawkfish’s poll of 17,253 voters in 50 US states from 1 to 16 last month, many Democratic-oriented voters responded that they would vote by mail due to concerns about corona infection. On the other hand, the majority of those polled said they would “vote directly” among Republican-oriented voters.

Experts predict that in 2016, 1 in 4 voters voted by mail, but this year half of voters will vote by mail. The greater the number of voters who vote by mail and the later the post office handles the work, the delayed count and the more controversial factors.

Supporters of President Donald Trump welcome President Trump when he arrived in La Trobe, Pennsylvania on the 3rd (local time). [AP=연합뉴스]

Voting by mail in the United States is not new in this presidential election. Even in the 2016 presidential election, 25% of all voters voted by mail. The electoral authorities send the ballot to the voter’s home, and the voter signs and returns it. If you are requesting an absentee ballot, you can also vote by mail.

President Trump, who opposes voting by mail, also requested an absentee ballot in Florida last month, the Washington Post reported. President Trump responded that “absentee voting is fine.”

What President Trump is opposed to is “universal mail voting.” In the ‘Universal Ballot by Mail’, the electoral authorities send all registered voters to vote without asking for a ballot. There are states that do not have this system, but this year, as more voters said they would not go to the polls due to the Corona 19 outbreak, more states allowed universal vote by mail.

The US media predicted that if they voted by mail, relatively low turnout blacks and people of color could more easily participate in the vote, which would be beneficial to the Democratic Party. President Trump opposes universal mail voting, which raises voter identification issues and the potential for outside forces like China and Russia to intervene.

Reporter Jeong Eun-hye [email protected]