Elections

Trump Suggests Delaying Presidential Election During Covid-19, Tsunami Backlash Floods Twitter

Published

1 year ago

July 30, 2020

Staff Writer

President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday morning about his concerns regarding mail-in ballot voting in the November presidential election due to the COVID-19 outbreak and suggested a never before action to delay the vote “until people can properly, securely and safely vote??”

The United States has never delayed an election. In fact, the only time it was ever suggested was during the Civil War and it never happened. Only Congress has the power to delay a general election date and it there is almost a zero percent chance that it will occur.

So why did POTUS make the controversial suggestion? Who knows. But maybe, like many of his controversial tweets, he wants to draw attention to the concerns of mail-in ballots but for many people, this Tweet went too far.

Changing Election Day would require an act of Congress so… no, the election will not be delayed. https://t.co/wooSiYoR5b
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) July 30, 2020

The responses on Twitter after Trump’s unusual statement was nothing short of a tsunami backlash that now has some GOP leaders, conservatives and all his opponents either concerned about why the President would make such a controversial suggestion or using it to suggest he is unwilling to relinquish his presidency if he loses to former Vice President Joe Biden.

However, Trump’s concerns are legitimate considering the mounting evidence that mail-in voting is ripe with fraud. For example, past elections that utilized mail-in ballots revealed the lengthy amount of time it takes to count the ballots, lost ballots and prosecutions of people that attempted to alter the ballots being submitted.

“With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history,” tweeted Trump Thursday. “It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1288818160389558273

The backlash was fierce against the President’s suggestion and came from all sides, including some of his supporters.

In a falsehood-ridden tweet, President Trump suggested delaying the November election.

Election Day has been set in federal law since 1845 and would require Congressional consent to delay — which is extremely unlikely to happen. (1/3) https://t.co/9Qur8im5Aq
— NPR (@NPR) July 30, 2020

You should understand that Presidents do NOT have any authority to delay or set the date for an election. The Constitution grants that power to Congress. Trump's tactics – well-known by now – are to distract you from bad news like today's GDP report: pic.twitter.com/3Dzo5tkj6m
— West Wing Reports (by Paul Brandus) (@WestWingReport) July 30, 2020

BREAKING: In a remarkable move by a sitting president, Pres. Trump suggests delaying the presidential election over his persistent false attacks about mail-in voting. It's not within the power of the president to delay the election. https://t.co/Tn8Akb5TGn
— ABC News (@ABC) July 30, 2020

Elections

New York City Dems Push Law to Allow 800,000 Non-Citizens to Vote in Municipal Elections

The New York City Council will vote on December 9 on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections

Published

23 hours ago

November 28, 2021

Staff Writer

New York’s Democratic party is battling over the constitutionality of voter laws. On December 9, the New York City Council will vote on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections.

“Around 808,000 New York City residents who have work permits or are lawful permanent residents would be eligible to vote under the legislation, which has the support of 34 of 51 council members, a veto-proof majority” reports Fox News.

“It’s important for the Democratic Party to look at New York City and see that when voting rights are being attacked, we are expanding voter participation,” Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, a sponsor of the bill and Democrat who represents the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, told the New York Times. Rodriguez immigrated from the Dominican Republic and became a U.S. citizen in 2000.

Fox News reports:

Laura Wood, Chief Democracy Officer for the mayor’s office, said at a hearing on the bill in September that the law could violate the New York State Constitution, which states that voters must be U.S. citizens age 18 or older.

Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated he could veto the bill following the September hearing.
“We’ve done everything that we could possibly get our hands on to help immigrant New Yorkers—including undocumented folks—but…I don’t believe it is legal,” de Blasio told WNYC radio at the time.

Mayor-elect Eric Adams, however, submitted testimony to the September hearing in favor of the bill. “In a democracy, nothing is more fundamental than the right to vote and to say who represents you and your community in elected office…Currently, almost one million New Yorkers are denied this foundational right.”

The legislation was first introduced two years ago, but had not yet gained traction due to the legal concerns.