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Trump Reportedly Bungled Vote by Mail While Lambasting System as 'Scheme to Rig Elections'

© REUTERS / Jonathan ErnstU.S. President Donald Trump is seated prior to signing an executive order regarding social media companies in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 28, 2020.
U.S. President Donald Trump is seated prior to signing an executive order regarding social media companies in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 28, 2020. - Sputnik International
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US President Donald Trump has been repeatedly attacking mail voting, calling it a “free-for-all for cheating” and a “Democratic scheme to rig elections”, as a number of states have approved mail-in voting for the upcoming elections amid concerns sparked by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

President Donald Trump reportedly bungled an attempt to register to vote in Florida in 2019, according to the Washington Post.

According to Trump’s registration form, cited by the outlet, in September 2019 Trump initially put his White House address, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC, on the form as his legal residence.

However, Florida requires people who vote in their elections to legally reside in the state.

According to the report, Trump subsequently resubmitted his form a month later, putting his Mar-a-Lago resort, situated in Palm Beach, Florida, as his legal residence.

© AP Photo / Wilfredo LeePresident Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate is shown, Wednesday, July 10, 2019, in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump Reportedly Bungled Vote by Mail While Lambasting System as 'Scheme to Rig Elections' - Sputnik International
President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate is shown, Wednesday, July 10, 2019, in Palm Beach, Florida.

The US President and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, changed their legal residence from Washington DC to Florida last year.
After this, Donald Trump was registered to vote in the state, and did so by mail in the Republican primary in March 2020.

There has not yet been an official response from the White House to the report.

© AP Photo / Jim ColeSecretary of State Bill Gardner watches at left as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shows off his filling fee check after filing papers to be on the nation's earliest presidential primary ballot.
Trump Reportedly Bungled Vote by Mail While Lambasting System as 'Scheme to Rig Elections' - Sputnik International
Secretary of State Bill Gardner watches at left as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shows off his filling fee check after filing papers to be on the nation's earliest presidential primary ballot.

The outlet points out that other voters have been forced to face serious consequences for making a mistake similar to the one reportedly attributed to Donald Trump, with some Democrats cited as underscoring the issue is listed on White House website as voter fraud.

When registering to vote in Florida, the maximum penalty for submitting false information is a $5,000 (£3,974) fine and five years in prison.

According to the outlet, a city manager who erroneously entered the wrong residence on his voting registration form was recently fined the maximum amount.

The report comes as Donald Trump has been criticizing the system enabling people to vote by mail in the 2020 presidential election, claiming this would potentially cause a large increase in ballot fraud.

Previously, Trump urged his party to fight "very hard" to prevent statewide mail-in voting, claiming it does not "work out well for Republicans."

His campaign also said that "under the guise of responding to the coronavirus crisis, Democrats have attempted to enshrine into law practices that are ripe for fraudulent voting."

On 24 May the president tweeted that the COVID-19 pandemic was being used to push for vote-by-mail which would result in a rigged election”.

​Calls to extend voting by mail to the November election have been coming from officials in the Democratic Party and some Republicans due to concerns over voters contracting COVID-19 amid the ongoing pandemic.

The outlet cites Tuesday’s primary election in eight states and Washington DC, with footage showing people who had not received absentee ballots in time queuing in line for hours, placing themselves at risk of contracting the virus.

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