WASHINGTON, July 31: US President Donald Trump told reporters during a press briefing he does not want to delay the presidential election on November 3, but he also wants to avoid a rigged vote if mail-in ballots are allowed due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“Do I want to see a date change? No,” Trump said on Thursday. “But I don’t want to see a rigged election.”
Earlier on Thursday, Trump suggested delaying the November 3 election due to concerns about possible mail-in fraud and the COVID-19 pandemic.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, have disagreed with the idea of delaying the election.
The US Constitution states that the authority to change an election date resides in Congress. The Democrats who control the House of Representatives have opposed any such change this year.
A new survey revealed that 70 percent of US voters favor a mail-in option in November’s presidential election over fears of the pandemic. According to the Harvard Center for American Political Studies (CAPS)-Harris Poll cited by the Hill on Thursday, 88 percent of Democrats, 71 percent of independents and 50 percent of Republicans back mailing in votes.
(agencies)
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