For a prolonged period, Trump has propagated speculations surrounding mail-in voting. Currently, his election campaign is advocating for early voting and casting ballots via mail.
As the election approaches and time dwindles, Trump's campaign is urging individuals to cast their votes early via mail, and is also striving to amplify voting opportunities in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene's destruction.
In a series of virtual town halls and robocalls scrutinized by CNN, Trump himself and his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who serves as the RNC co-chair, have been actively encouraging voters to take advantage of early voting options, such as mail-ins.
One recorded message states, "Hi, this is Lara Trump calling on behalf of President Trump's campaign, and we're urging you to get out and vote before Election Day." Earlier this year, Lara Trump voiced a scripted message that falsely accused widespread fraud in the 2020 election due to mail-in ballots.
Lara Trump is enlisted by the Trump campaign to promote early voting and mail-ins
During the early part of the year, the RNC co-chair spread a scripted message that erroneously claimed widespread fraud occurred in the 2020 election due to mail-ins.
According to Nomorobo, an app that blocks and monitors robocalls, at least 286,000 estimated calls with this message were transmitted to voters, including in critical swing states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, and Michigan. The calls began as early as October 2.
The Trump campaign recently requested North Carolina to broaden voting options in light of Hurricane Helene's damages – despite the fact that Republicans in Georgia opposed widening voting possibilities by extending registration deadlines in response to hurricane damage in Georgia.
Voting rights advocates praise the Trump campaign for joining a bipartisan push for expanded voting privileges following Hurricane Helene, but express concern that this action conflicts with the campaign's history of attempting to restrict voting during the 2020 election and the pandemic-disrupted voting across the nation.
Sean Morales-Doyle, the director of the voting rights program at the Brennan Center for Justice, shared his sentiments, saying, "It's wonderful that the Trump campaign is speaking in the same voice as so many others, urging expansions to voting access in the wake of Hurricane Helene. However, it's disconcerting that they don't take a consistent approach to that – or to mail voting or to early voting."
The Trump campaign filed several lawsuits in 2020 to prevent many changes made by states to facilitate mail-in voting. These measures were implemented to reduce indoor gatherings in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"When you see this inconsistency in voting policies, it raises the question that these decisions are based on political calculations about who might benefit from expanded access. It also underscores that they know they're not telling the truth about how expanded access through mail voting or early voting can potentially debase election integrity," added Morales-Doyle.
North Carolina is a pivotal swing state that could sway the presidential election, and the western portion of the state affected by the hurricane is one of Trump's most solid bases.
Of the 25 counties in North Carolina's federally designated disaster area, Trump won all but two in 2020, amassing nearly 63% of the vote. According to the state's board of elections, there are 481,000 registered Republicans in these 25 counties, compared to 293,000 Democrats.
Trump campaign officials Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita stated that the proposals to expand voting access in North Carolina "will ensure that people in these affected areas will not lose their opportunity to make their voices heard in this significant election."
"Prompt action by the North Carolina General Assembly and the Governor will ensure that the residents of North Carolina can express their views during the November 5th election," they said.
'Too big to be manipulated'
Trump has previously released videos and messages on his social media promoting early and mail-in voting as part of the RNC's voter mobilization program. Both methods of voting are also highlighted at Trump's campaign rallies.
However, this advocacy has occasionally led to conflicting messages from the former president.
Last month, at a rally in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Trump expressed both praise and criticism for early voting, stating, "We have to get out and vote. And you can start right away. You know that, right? Now we have this stupid stuff where you can vote 45 days early. I wonder what happens during that 45 days. ’Let’s move, see these votes? We’ve got about a million votes in there. Let's move them. We’re fixing the air conditioner in the room, right?’ No, it's terrible!"
In 2020, Trump labeled mail-in ballots as "dangerous" and "corrupt." He said they posed a danger of "massive electoral fraud" and a "rigged" 2020 election.
Now locked in a tight race against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump's campaign is actively backing early in-person and mail voting, even as the former president has pledged to eventually phase out these commonly used practices. He falsely claimed they were insecure voting methods in a video posted to Swamp the Vote USA, a voting resource website funded by the RNC.
"I'm here to guarantee fair elections from now on. We're moving towards using physical ballots, implementing same-day voting, and requiring voter identification. We're committed to doing things right. We want secure, reliable, impressive elections, and we never want a repeat of 2020's circumstances. But until then, Republicans must prevail. And we should utilize every suitable method to surpass the Democrats. ... Whether you vote early, through absentee ballots, by post, or in person, we'll safeguard your votes."
The Republican factions in Arizona and Nevada also enlisted Lara Trump for automated messages championing early and mail voting, despite mirroring her father-in-law's criticisms on early voting earlier.
"With your cooperation, we're heading for a monumental success in Nevada," Lara Trump states in the Nevadan robocall. "Go out, influence others to vote early, and remind them about the criticality of this choice. When we cast our votes, we triumph."
Lara Trump urges Nevada voters to vote early and by mail
The Nevada Republican Party commissioned Lara Trump to motivate Nevadans to vote early and by mail.
According to Nomorobo, in April, CNN’s KFile indicated Lara Trump disseminated a pre-scripted call to voters claiming Democrats committed "massive fraud" in the 2020 election.
"We all recognize the issues. Absence of photo IDs, open ballot drop boxes, mass mailing of ballots, and inflated voter rolls teeming with deceased individuals and noncitizens are few examples of the extensive fraud that occurred," the RNC call from April claimed. "If Democrats have their way, your vote might be invalidated by someone who isn't even a citizen."
Advancing votes in North Carolina
On Tuesday, the Trump campaign issued a press release suggesting ten policy modifications for North Carolina to support voters in disaster-struck areas, several of which were implemented by the state legislature.
The Republican-led legislature's bill, which was signed into law by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper on Thursday, provided 25 counties in the federally declared disaster area with more power to manage elections. The bill contains provisions resembling many of Trump's proposals, like granting counties broader flexibility in early voting hours and enabling counties to utilize temporary voting locations if precincts are unusable.
"I'll praise the Republicans who are in command here for enacting good legislation (Wednesday) that certainly addresses the requirements of voters," said Bob Phillips, the executive director of Common Cause North Carolina, a group that advocates for expanded voter access. "The most significant aspect is granting each of these county board of elections the flexibility regarding voting sites, both for early voting and Election Day."
The Trump campaign also advocated for broadening bipartisan teams to assist voters in requesting and delivering absentee ballots to county boards and allowing voters displaced to other counties in the state to cast provisional ballots that would be transmitted back to their home county.
In contrast, in Georgia, where Helene caused substantial damage, Republicans opposed expanding voter access. The Republican National Committee appeared as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by civil rights groups seeking to prolong the county's voter registration deadline, which was Monday.
A federal judge on Thursday rejected that request, explaining that it "lacked clarity and detail" as to how specific individuals were affected.
A similar lawsuit over the voter registration deadline in Florida – which is still evaluating the damages inflicted by Hurricane Milton – was also dismissed by a federal judge on Wednesday.
An RNC spokesperson stated that liberal groups in Georgia were attempting to use the courts to extend registration deadlines established by the legislature, while voters had ample time to register in Georgia.
"As numerous Americans are still struggling from the impact of Hurricane Helene, the Trump Campaign and RNC are endeavoring to widen voting access for those displaced, and we are engaging voters where they are to make certain they are knowledgeable about voting modifications," said RNC spokesperson Anna Kelly.
Trump and his supporters have asserted that there's a distinction between adjustments approved by a legislature – like the campaign request from North Carolina – and numerous alterations made in 2020 by election boards during the pandemic.
Voting rights advocates state that although circumstances differ between a pandemic and a hurricane, the concept of enabling displaced voters to participate in an election should remain consistent.
"Even with dissimilar hurdles, the policy solutions are often the same," said Morales-Doyle of the Brennan Center. "Expanded access is crucial, and to expand access, funding is essential. The things we're promoting now in North Carolina and Florida, in numerous ways, echo the things we advocated for in 2020."
The Trump campaign actively encourages voters in favorable states like North Carolina, such as Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump, to take advantage of early voting options, including mail-ins.
Despite the Trump campaign's push for broadened voting options in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene's destruction, voting rights advocates express concern about the campaign's inconsistent approach to voting policies and history of attempting to restrict voting during the 2020 election.
