by Darmi Msarko
President Trump has requested mail-in ballots for the upcoming Florida primaries despite his frequent criticism of mail-in ballot systems in the U.S., USA Today reported.
The president, who changed his permanent residence from New York to Florida during his first term in office, is casting a ballot to be counted Aug. 18 in the state’s congressional primary elections.
A request from the ballot was posted online by Palm Beach County election officials on Wednesday. A ballot will be picked up and delivered to the president’s Florida residence of Mar-a-Lago before it will travel to Washington, D.C.
It will then be mailed to Florida officials ahead of the state’s primary election Tuesday.
White House officials did not immediately return a request for comment from The Hill.
Trump has frequently claimed that the practice of voting by mail will lead to voter fraud. However, there is scant evidence to suggest that this is the case.
“With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history,” he tweeted in late July.
“It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???” he added at the time.
Democrats have called for an expansion of mail-in voting nationwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic after most state and federal health guidelines have warned against gathering in crowded, indoor spaces.
