Arizonans react to Trump pushing to end 'corrupt' mail-in voting nationwide
Trump's push to ban mail-in ballots draws criticism
President Donald Trump announced a push to end mail-in voting nationwide on Monday, a move he says will ensure fair elections. FOX 10's Lauren Clark has more on how Arizonans are reacting.
PHOENIX - President Donald Trump announced a push to end mail-in voting nationwide on Monday, a move he says will ensure fair elections.
What we know:
Trump made the announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social, before bringing up the issue while hosting the president of Ukraine.
"Mail-in ballots are corrupt. You can never have a real democracy with mail-in ballots," Trump said. "We as a Republican Party will do everything to end it. We're going to start with an executive order being written by the best lawyers in the country to end mail-in ballots."
The president also took aim at voting machines, claiming they cost more than watermarked paper and that traditional voting leaves no doubt as to who won an election.
According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, about 30% of Americans vote by mail. In Arizona, that number is more than 80%.
What they're saying:
Despite the popularity of mail-in voting in a race the president handily won, he wants to ban it nationwide, a push that is receiving mixed reactions from Arizonans.
"It's just one more crazy thing that Trump has come up with," one voter said.
Another voter said Trump is "doing what he can to discourage voting. It's undemocratic. I can't stand the guy."
Meanwhile, a supporter said, "I support the idea of making it more strict, and bringing back, like, I guess, voter confidence."
Another voter said, "I don't necessarily think that's a bad idea. Unfortunately, there's fraud that goes on."
Republicans, like Arizona Rep. Eli Crane, believe the move will make elections more secure.
"An important step towards restoring the integrity of our elections," Crane said.
But, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, says banning mail-in ballots and voting machines would be unreasonable for Arizona's election system.
"More than 85% of our voters cast our ballot by mail. And for someone to come in and say 'you can't do this anymore,' Arizonans will not be pushovers like that," Fontes said.
Stephen Richer, the former Maricopa County Recorder and a Republican, said an executive action like this would be unprecedented.
"It seems like President Trump wants to wash away those pesky states and say instead this is the domain of the federal government," Richer said. "This would be a significant departure through how election law has been crafted in the past, and I think it would face a significant uphill battle in the courts."
The current Maricopa County Recorder, Justin Heap, did not respond to FOX 10's multiple requests for comment.
The U.S. is not the only country that allows mail-in ballots. Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany are just some of the 34 countries that use them.