TOPLINE
The Nevada legislature approved a bill Sunday that would automatically send mail-in ballots to all voters in the state, an action President Trump deemed “an illegal late-night coup” that would make it “impossible for Republicans to win the state,” prompting the president to threaten legal action.
President Donald Trump shouts at members of the media as he returns from Florida to the White House ... [+]
KEY FACTS
Citing health concerns arising from the coronavirus, the Nevada legislature on Sunday passed Assembly Bill 4, which would guarantee that every active registered voter receives a mail-in ballot to vote in the November general election, according to the Associated Press.
“No one should have to choose between their health and voting. No one should have to choose between staying in line to vote and making it to their job on time,” Christine Saunders of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada told the AP.
The bill now heads to Gov. Steve Sisolak, who is expected to sign it into law, which will make Nevada the eighth state planning to send voters mail-in ballots, according to the report.
Trump took to Twitter early Monday morning to accuse Sisolak, a Democrat, of using the coronavirus to “steal” the election.
“In an illegal late night coup, Nevada’s clubhouse Governor made it impossible for Republicans to win the state. Post Office could never handle the Traffic of Mail-In Votes without preparation. Using Covid to steal the state. See you in Court!” tweeted Trump.
Last week, the president declared that if universal mail-in voting were approved, then the 2020 election would be the “most inaccurate and fraudulent election in history.”
Key Background:
With fewer than 100 days to go until the general election in November, mail-in voting remains a divisive issue. The vast majority of Democrats advocate for a nationwide expansion by pointing out that there is no evidence of widespread mail-in ballot fraud, even in states that exclusively use mail-in voting. Republicans counter by arguing that mail-in voting has rarely been administered on the scale Democrats currently propose. In the 2016 election, more than 73,000 out of 33 million mail-in ballots arrived too late to be counted, according to CBS News. In 2020, “somewhere between probably 80 million and 100 million voters” could receive mail-in ballots, maintains former Arizona election official Tammy Patrick. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has accused Trump of attempting to “indirectly steal” the election by fostering doubts related to mail-in voting.
Crucial Quote:
“The comments made by President Trump and RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel regarding Assembly Bill 4 are disgraceful and patently false. This is a clear fear-mongering attempt by the GOP to suppress voters this November as part of an effort to shield themselves from the backlash of a failed administration,” said Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson.
Tangent:
On Sunday morning, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) claimed that Trump “doesn't plan to have fair and unfettered elections,” and compared the president to fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, after Trump tweeted that he would conceivably support delaying November’s election “until people can properly, securely and safely vote.”
Further Reading:
Rep. James Clyburn Warns, 'American People Had Better Wake Up' Because Trump 'is Mussolini' (Forbes)
Trump vows legal action over Nevada mail-in voting plan (Fox News)
