Whats Trump Concerned About
Supporters of mail-in ballots argue that the dangers of voting fraud from mail-in ballots are miniscule, and have dismissed President Trumps concerns as unfounded.
Others have pointed to numerous potential problems with mail-in voting based on the results of past elections, from votes being lost by mail to ballots being rejected for arriving late by no fault of the voter. Earlier this month, National Public Radio, a liberal left non-profit radio network thats anything but supportive of Trump, discovered that at least 65,000 absentee or mail-in ballots were rejected in the Democratic primary elections earlier this year, with these accounting for as much as 1 percent of total votes in many states. Furthermore, Black and Latino voters were said to have been affected by these discrepancies disproportionately.
Election Timing Is Set In Stone
Even if America’s opposition party agreed to a postponement, US politicians couldn’t go Olympic-style and put off the election for a year.
They could only postpone things until January, thanks to the 20th amendment of the US constitution.
The way it’s written means that neither Trump nor Mike Pence can legally stay in office past inauguration date unless they are re-elected to that office.
Not even could keep them in office longer.
“The Supreme Court has long held that even the declaration of martial law does not change constitutional protections,” Douglas said.
“Martial law is more about what happens if the courts can’t be open for business. It doesn’t take away all the other protections within the constitution.”
And changing a constitutional amendment is even more complicated than making a new law. It requires three-fourths of US state governments to agree, a process that can take years.
“That would be virtually impossible in this environment,” Douglas said.
The “environment” is one where the two major parties are likely to miss a deadline to extend coronavirus aid to millions of Americans because they can’t come to a consensus.
Donald Trump Suggests Delay To 2020 Us Presidential Election
Donald Trump has suggested November’s presidential election be postponed, saying increased postal voting could lead to fraud and inaccurate results.
He floated a delay until people could “properly, securely and safely” vote.
There is little evidence to support Mr Trump’s claims but he has long railed against mail-in voting which he has said would be susceptible to fraud.
US states want to make postal voting easier due to public health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the US constitution, Mr Trump does not have the authority to postpone the election himself. Any delay would have to be approved by Congress. The president does not have direct power over the two houses of Congress.
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What Are The Chances That The November Elections Will Be Delayed
Did we mention that the House of Representatives, controlled by the Democratic Party, the Senate, controlled by the Republican, and President Trump would have to pass that legislation?
To call it improbable would be an understatement.
Even if all of that were to happen, there would not be much flexibility in choosing an alternative election date: the Constitution states that the new Congress must be sworn in on January 3, and that the new presidents term must begin on January 20. Those dates cannot be changed simply with the approval of normal legislation.
Trump Tweet Suggests Delaying Election Over Mail
The president cannot unilaterally change the date of the presidential election, which is on Nov. 3 this year.
NBC News presidential historian Michael Beschloss tweeted that there has never been a successful effort to delay it.
Never in American historynot even during the Civil War and World War II–has there been a successful move to Delay the Election for President.
Michael Beschloss
Earlier in the morning, Trump tweeted that mail-in voting is already proving to be a catastrophic disaster.
Even testing areas are way off. The Dems talk of foreign influence in voting, but they know that Mail-In Voting is an easy way for foreign countries to enter the race. Even beyond that, theres no accurate count! he tweeted.
Critics have voiced concern that Trump will press for the 2020 election to be delayed amid the coronavirus pandemic. At a House Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, Attorney General Bill Barr was asked if a sitting president can change the date of the election.
I havent looked into that question, under the Constitution, Barr said.
While states have the authority to delay their primary elections, only Congress can change the date for the general election for president, because the Constitution gives Congress the authority to set the general election date.
Since 1845, Congress has required the appointment of presidential electors to take place on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, which this year is Nov. 3.
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Can Trump Really Postpone The 2020 Us Presidential Elections Heres Everything You Need To Know
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Faced with a rapidly shrinking economy and poor forecasts in the polls, President Trump floated the idea of postponing Novembers presidential election, citing fraudulent mail-in voting as a rationale.
Trumps tweet has been seen by many as indication that he and some in his base might reject the outcome of the election should his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., win in November. Why exactly would Trump want to postpone the 2020 US presidential election and can it actually happen?
Trump Refuses To Back Down On Suggestion Of Election Delay
The president asserts that large numbers of mail-in ballots amid the coronavirus pandemic might mean you never even know who won the election.
07/30/2020 07:27 PM EDT
President Donald Trump on Thursday refused to back down from his suggestion earlier in the day that the November general election be postponed, repeating unsubstantiated predictions of widespread voter fraud amid the coronavirus pandemic and saying that large numbers of mail-in ballots might mean you never even know who won the election.
The presidents extraordinary proposal, which he is not constitutionallyempowered to enforce, represented his first attempt at floating a suspension of the election less than 100 days away.
With Universal Mail-In Voting , 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history, Trump wrote on Twitter in the morning. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???
Hours later, he appeared to launch a partial clean-up of the suggestion after it wasroundly rejected by members of his own party.
Glad I was able to get the very dishonest LameStream Media to finally start talking about the RISKS to our Democracy from dangerous Universal Mail-In-Voting Trump said Thursday afternoon, reiterating that he totally supports absentee voting.
He also vowed that he would win the 2020 election, despite recent polling suggesting trouble for the president.
CORONAVIRUS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
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Full Vide Trump Rally Youngstown Oh
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Have Federal Officials Considered Rescheduling A General Election In The Past
In 2004, some officials in the George W. Bush administration were reported to have discussed postponing a federal election in the event of a terrorist attack. But that idea quickly failed, and Condoleezza Rice, the then national security adviser, said the United States had held elections when we were at war, even when we were at civil war. And we should have the elections on time.
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Presidents Are Powerless To Set Election Dates
There is no constitutional or statutory basis for a president to set or change election dates. In plain English, its not within the presidents powers its Congresss job.
In theory, a president who held considerable influence over Congress could persuade members to pass a statute changing Election Day, and then sign that statute into law. However, that has not yet happened. And with leading Republicans universally dismissing Trumps suggestion, it likely wont happen.
Can Donald Trump Postpone Or Delay The 2020 Presidential Election
Is President Trump able to postpone or delay the election in November Is President Trump able to postpone or delay the election in November
Heres what we know about whether a presidential election can be delayed or postponed, and whether the president has the power to do so on his own:
Can a presidential election be postponed?
Yes, under certain circumstances an election can be postponed.
Can the president order the postponement or delay of an election on his own?
No. The president has no constitutional authority to postpone an election.
How would it be postponed? Would it be easy to do?
It would definitely not be easy to do.
It would take a change in the federal law that sets the date of federal elections. The law passed in 1846 says that an election will take place on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, in every fourth year succeeding every election of a President and Vice President.
To change it would take a bill passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the president.
What does the Constitution say about it?
The Constitution has few hard and fast set dates, but the beginning and end of a presidents term are two of them. The 20th Amendment says that the terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January.
So, on that date, whether there was an election held in the fall or not, the terms of Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will end.
Can a federal law be passed to disallow mail-in voting?
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Have Federal Officials Considered Moving A General Election In The Past
It was reported in 2004 that some Bush administration officials had discussed putting in place a method of postponing a federal election in the event of a terrorist attack. But that idea fizzled quickly, and Condoleezza Rice, then the national security adviser, said that the United States had held elections in this country when we were at war, even when we were in civil war. And we should have the elections on time.
Okay But If The Election Is Canceled What Happens Then
Lets presume, for just a moment, that the election does not happen as scheduled, for whatever reason. Who does that leave in charge? It turns out that the answer to this question is surprisingly complicated, and it may turn on whether at least one state manages to name individuals to the Electoral College.
Buckle up. This is about to get really deep into the constitutional weeds.
The 12th Amendment provides that after the members of the Electoral College are chosen, those electors shall meet and cast their ballots, and the person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed.
Its unclear what happens if only some states hold the presidential election as scheduled, while others fail to appoint electors at all, but the 12th Amendments text suggests that the total number of electors needed to choose a president declines if some states do not appoint anyone to the Electoral College. If only 100 electors are appointed, 51 electoral votes could potentially be enough to choose a president.
Needless to say, this quirk of the Constitutions text gives every state an incentive to hold their election. If a bloc of red states delays the election, while blue states do not, Republicans could effectively forfeit the Electoral College vote.
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Anonymous And The Murder Of George Floyd
Not only did Anonymous threaten the US government and the Minneapolis Police Department, it then took down the Minneapolis police website and hacked Chicagos police radio to play Fuck the Police on loop in order to stop officers from communicating with each other.
When anonymous said we are anonymous. we are a legion. we do not forgive. we do not forget. expect us, they really meant it
More secrets are expected to be revealed as long as the US police keep arresting protesters instead of the real criminals.
Trump Cant Postpone The 2020 Presidential Elections
Heres why the US presidents tweet must still be taken seriously by everyone
Once again, US President Donald Trump has shown his ignorance of the Constitution and federal law in raising the question on Twitter of whether the November presidential election should be delayed.
To be clear, President Trump has absolutely no legal authority to do this. The date for the election is set by federal statute and can be changed only by Congress.
But that didnt stop Trump from tweeting, With Universal Mail-In Voting , 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???
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Can Trump Legally Delay Election Day
Setting the date for Election Day is not within the presidential powers. The Constitution empowers Congress to set the election date. That tradition stretches back to 1845, when Congress first established that Election Day would be the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in every fourth year.
Elections are overseen by state officials but mostly run by local election officers who are responsible for managing polling places and counting votes. Their responsibilities include fielding applications from absentee voters and processing those ballots.
Democrats and civil rights organizations openly fear that statements like the one Trump made Thursday will undermine the legitimacy of the November election, when an increased number of voters are expected to vote by mail during the pandemic.
“Suggesting the possibility of moving the General Election is an extraordinary statement from a sitting President and is sure to create confusion amongst voters about presidential powers in relation to the election,” Trevor Potter, president of Campaign Legal Center, said in a statement. “The country has voted in general elections in the middle of a Civil War, two World Wars and the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, not to mention the Great Depression.”
Patrick Svitek contributed to this report.
Who Can Change The Election Date
President Trump does not have the authority to move the date of the election, which is usually held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Any change of date would need to be approved by the two houses of Congress – the House of Representatives and the Senate. Democrats control the House of Representatives and some have already said they will not support any delay to the vote.
Any move by Congress to delay the election into 2021 would also require a constitutional amendment, US media quoted constitutional experts as saying. The amendment would be needed to change the dates for swearing in members of Congress and the new presidential administration, according to NPR.
Finally, legal experts quoted by NBC said that even if Congress did agree to delay the election, Mr Trump’s own term as president would still expire by 20 January 2021 under the constitution’s 20th Amendment.
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Trump: ‘i Don’t Want To Be Waiting Around For Weeks’ For Mail
Trump has since railed against mail-in voting, while Democrats have said they want to expand it because of the coronavirus pandemic, which could prevent many voters from physically going to the polls to cast their ballots. In June, the president said that the “biggest risk” to his re-election prospects is increased mail-in voting and whether he can win lawsuits to stop its expansion.
Several Democrats on Thursday immediately slammed Trump for floating the idea of delaying the election, arguing that he’s trying to divert attention away from his handling of the coronavirus.
“Folks, dont take the bait here. Trump has zero authority to delay the election,” tweeted Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut. “But he wants to talk about it. This is his time-tested way to get you to not focus on 150,000 dead Americans and an economy in free fall. Largely because of his ineptitude.”
Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington state tweeted: “Prez has no authority to delay elections. One more try at throwing a shiny ball out there to divert attention from: inept handling of the pandemic ignoring intel on Russian bounties devastating economic numbers lack of action or plan on next COVID-19 relief package.”
“It is no coincidence his tweet came out on a day where the terrible economic numbers came out and where we crossed 150,000 dead Americans,” said Rep. Jim Hines, D-Conn.”But there is not an American I think that needs to worry the president has the authority or the ability to postpone the election.”
Trump Floats Delaying Election Despite Lack Of Authority To Do So
President Donald Trump explicitly floated delaying Novemberâs presidential election on Thursday, lending extraordinary voice to persistent concerns that he will seek to circumvent voting in a contest where he currently trails his opponent by double digits.
Hours later, Trump seemed to acknowledge the move was meant primarily to inject uncertainty into an election he appears determined to undermine, though didnât entirely back away from the notion of a delay.
Trump has no authority to delay an election, and the Constitution gives Congress the power to set the date for voting. Lawmakers from both parties said almost immediately there was no likelihood the election would be delayed and even some of Trumpâs allies said his message reflected the desperate flailing of a badly losing candidate.
Yet as toothless as it was, Trumpâs message did provide an opening â long feared by Democrats â that both he and his supporters might refuse to accept the presidential results. In questioning it ahead of time, Trump is priming those in his camp to doubt the legitimacy of whatever outcome emerges in the first weeks of November.
In his tweet on Thursday morning â coming 96 days before the election and minutes after the federal government reported the worst economic contraction in recorded history â Trump offered the suggestion because he claimed without evidence the contest will be flawed.
On Thursday, Trumpâs campaign said the President was offering a query.
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