Donald Trump has sparked a new row after suggesting people should try to commit electoral fraud by voting both by mail and in person in November’s presidential election.
“Let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their system’s as good as they say it is, then obviously they won’t be able to vote,” the President said in a TV interview in Wilmington, North Carolina, when asked about the security of postal ballots.
“If it isn’t tabulated, they’ll be able to vote.”
He added: “That’s the way it is. “And that’s what they should do.”
By suggesting people vote twice in the same election, Mr Trump appeared to be telling voters to attempt the sort of electoral fraud he has railed against.
The President has repeatedly claimed the November 3 election will be hit by mass vote-tampering with a record number of “mail-in” ballots expected due to concerns about people gathering to vote in person during the pandemic. Experts say this is unlikely, however.
North Carolina’s state Attorney General Josh Stein tweeted that Mr Trump had “outrageously encouraged” North Carolinians “to break the law in order to help him sow chaos in our election.”
“Make sure you vote, but do NOT vote twice! I will do everything in my power to make sure the will of the people is upheld in November,” he added.
Campaigners also voiced concern. “Casting two ballots is illegal. Don’t listen to the President”, the American Civil Liberties Union tweeted.
US Attorney General William Barr told CNN that Mr Trump “was trying to make the point that the ability to monitor this system is not good”.
Told that voting twice is illegal, he said: “I don’t know what the law in the particular state says.”
