The Michigan Attorney General and Michigan Secretary of State are pushing back against President Trump’s suggestion that voters cast two ballots to test election systems.
Trump was asked by a television reporter during his trip Wednesday to Wilmington, North Carolina, if he had confidence in the vote-by-mail system.
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“They will vote and then they are going to have to check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way because if it tabulates then they won’t be able to do that,” Trump told WECT. “So, let them send it in and let them go vote. And if the system is as good as they say it is, then they obviously won’t be able to vote (at the poll). If it isn’t tabulated, they will be able to vote.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said voter fraud is typically prosecuted as a felony in the state of Michigan, and bipartisan legislation was introduced in the state legislature this summer that would codify it as a felony offense.
“Let me be perfectly clear: voting twice is illegal, no matter who tells you do to it. The president’s idea is a great one for people looking to go to jail,” said Nessel. “My office will prosecute to the fullest extend of the law anyone who intentionally flouts our election laws.”
“Our election system has been stress-tested by three successful elections already this year and in all of them proven that it is absolutely safe and secure,” said Benson. “We have protections in place to ensure election officials track and verify every ballot they send and receive and in every instance we ensure that each person gets only one vote.”
The General Election is Nov. 3, and mail-in voting is expected to be the main avenue for voting amid the coronavirus pandemic.
More: Voting by mail in Michigan for 2020 General Election: What to know