Former president Barack Obama
Barack Hussein ObamaTrump defends golf outings: this is my ‘exercise’ How Trump can get his mojo back Trump confirms the 2018 US cyber attack on the Russian troll farm MORE He said Monday that voting by mail should not be a partisan issue and that every voter should have the opportunity to do so, especially given the coronavirus crisis.
“Voting by mail should not be a partisan issue, especially during a pandemic,” Obama tweeted. “Everyone should be able to request an absentee ballot and have their voice heard at every election.”
Voting by mail should not be a partisan issue, especially during a pandemic. Everyone should be able to request an absentee ballot and have their voice heard at every election. https://t.co/enlhkichz3
– Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 13, 2020
Obama also shared a link to an NPR article on mail voting that said the issue had become politically charged as Republicans and particularly President Trump
Donald John TrumpDavis: The Supreme Court decision is bad news for Trump, good news for Vance Meadows trying to root out suspected White House leakers by providing them information: Axios Pressley beats DeVos for reopening of schools : ‘I would not trust you to worry about a house plant, much less my son’ MORE fought against that.
Most states have expanded absentee voting opportunities in light of the pandemic, with many excuse requirements to eliminate or relax. But voting by mail has been criticized by President Trump and his allies. In Texas, Republicans engage in court battles to ensure that absentee voting does not extend to non-disabled people under the age of 65.
Some Republicans worry that the president’s rhetoric may turn down potential Republican voters, including older voters, a traditionally conservative demographic that may feel awkward in person. In states like Florida, Republicans have run many successful mail-in voting campaigns.
Democrats, including Obama, have touted mail voting as a public safety measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at the polls and a way to encourage voting among vulnerable populations.
In a second tweet, Obama urged people to register and find out how they could vote by mail.
Register and find out how you can vote by mail at https://t.co/JQJjdF7JxM.
– Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 13, 2020
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