Trump, Pence, and Advisers Have Voted by Mail. Other Americans Should Have the Option, Too.

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Donald Trump standing at a podium giving a press briefing with Mike pence standing to his left.
President Donald J. Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence, addresses his remarks at a coronavirus update briefing Wednesday, April 22, 2020, in the James S. Brady White House Press Briefing Room of the White House. Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen.

A recent piece by the Associated Press (AP) revealed that even though President Trump has criticized voting by mail, more than half a dozen of his closest advisers have repeatedly mailed in their own ballots – including Vice President Mike Pence who still lists the governor’s residence in Indiana as his official residence three years after moving to the District of Columbia.  

Earlier this year, Trump himself also voted by mail in the Florida primary.

As Campaign Legal Center President Trevor Potter highlights in the AP article, "These are people who are taking advantage of — which is perfectly legal — their right to vote absentee. But they don't want other people to do the same thing."

The fact that Trump and his advisers regularly use mail-in voting while wanting to prevent other voters from doing the same is especially concerning in an election year when the COVID-19 pandemic could dampen voter turnout. Due to COVID-19, 64% of voters want to have the option to vote by mail so that they can safely participate in our democracy.

Mail-in voting and in-person voting should be available to all Americans. Voters should not have to choose between their health and a functioning democracy.

Read the full story.

Read Trevor Potter’s op-ed in Fox News Online.

Georgia is a Communications Assistant at CLC.