Facebook, Twitter Flag Trump Posts Mail-In Voting, Going to the polls: NPR

President Trump visited Wilmington in NC on Wednesday and asked supporters to try to vote in person after sending a mail-in ballot – which is illegal and disruptive.

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Melissa Sue Gerritz / Getty Images

President Trump visited Wilmington in NC on Wednesday and asked supporters to try to vote in person after sending a mail-in ballot – which is illegal and disruptive.

Melissa Sue Gerritz / Getty Images

Updated at 3:08 p.m.

President Trump, a frequent critic of mail-in voting, said Wednesday he would take his attacks on the process a step further and “make sure it counts” to go to the polls even after North Carolina supporters vote by mail.

North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell warned in a statement Thursday morning that voting twice is bad under North Carolina law – as if inciting someone to vote twice.

“The State Board has a special investigative team that will investigate allegations of double voting, which will be referred to prosecutors when guaranteed,” Bell said.

The warning came after Trump told a group of supporters at the airport in Wilmington, NC: “If you get unsolicited ballots, send it, then go – make sure it counts. And if it doesn’t count, you vote. You vote, and if they table it too late, they No, they’ll see that they voted for you, so it’s not counting. So, send it in advance and then go and vote. It’s not on the table – you vote and the vote will be counted, “Trump said.

Thursday afternoon, Twitter Trump flagged the tweets in the morning Reiterating his comments, he said they “violated Twitter rules about civic and electoral integrity”.

Facebook took a similar step, adding a statement to the Trump post on the platform that “voting by mail has a long history of credibility in America and is expected to do the same this year.” (Read more about voting by mail; The FBI says There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in coordination, Despite Trump’s arguments.)

A spokesman said Facebook would not even allow people to share Trump’s video because it “violates our policies that prohibit voter fraud.”

At a news conference on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Kylie McNani insisted that the president “will not condone illegal voting.”

Earlier, White House spokesman Jude Deer denounced Trump for urging people to vote twice and said the news media would take his comments out of context.

“No one has fought harder for an electoral system that is fairer than President Trump and free from fraud and abuse. The idea that he is encouraging people to vote twice is another example of the media taking him out of context,” Deer said in a statement.

Nine states and the District of Columbia Ballots are being sent out in advance to all registered voters, Not North Carolina, the state is not sending absentee ballot applications to voters because there are nine states in addition.

In an interview with WCET Television, Asked about Trump’s confidence in the state’s absentee voting system.

“They go out and they vote and they have to go to the polls and go through the polls and check their vote, because if it is tabled they can’t do that,” he said. “So, let them send it and let them vote and if their system is as good as they say they are, then they can not vote. If it is not tabled, they will be able to vote, the same way.”

Amber McRonald, who headed the National Vote at Home Institute and served as election director in Denver, said there are security policies in place in most states to prevent Trump from arguing action.

When voters signed the envelope containing their ballot, she said, “It’s like you checked a polling place in a poll book.” “You must be checking yourself out of the list by flipping that envelope.”

“If voters appear in person and you request a mail ballot, they are going to give you a provisional ballot because they need to confirm that your mail ballot has not arrived,” McRonalds said.

Trump is often Mail-in voting was criticized, Which is alleged to be fraudulent without evidence. A record number of voters are expected to cast their ballots by mail in the upcoming presidential election due to concerns about the coronavirus epidemic.

But Bell, of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said voters should not go to polling stations to check if their ballot has been counted.

“The State Board office is severely discouraged from checking whether the ballot is counted by the people not attending the election on election day,” she said. “It’s not necessary, and it can lead to long lines and the spread of COVID-19.”

The story was contributed by NPR Tech Correspondent Shannon Bond.