Donald trump took to his “bully pulpit” on Twitter to speak out about voter fraud.
This echoes statements made by the president prior to the 2016 election, and is stoking fears that he is attempting to pave the way to declare the elections in question if they do not go his way.
After the 2016 race, Trump claimed that voter fraud affected the outcome, stating that he actually won the popular vote, “if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.”
The president’s assertion led to a Presidential Commission on Election Integrity in 2017, led by Kris Kobach. Kobach is now running for Governor in Kansas.
The commission was disbanded in January of this year, unable to prove the president’s assertions.
Voter fraud, in spite of claims by Trump, has not shown itself to be an issue of significance. Voter suppression, however, is a growing issue.
Officials in many states and localities have sought to curtail voting rights, most notably Brian Kemp, the Secretary of State for Georgia, who has purged over 300,000 votes from the state’s rolls in a move viewed by many as voter suppression.
Kemp is running for Governor in Georgia, and is in a tight race against opponent Stacey Abrams.
Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license