Trump asks supporters to vote by mail, despite his fraud allegations

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon urged his supporters to vote by mail in the November 3 midterm elections — a deep change of tone from a president who for years has called mail voting a practice full of fraud.

The statement came shortly before his departure for a rally in Nebraska. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said his supporters ‘can vote by mail if they want, because it seems we have no other choice, since so many people want to vote by mail’, adding that ‘you can do either’ — by mail or in person — although he himself said he prefers voting in person.

The shift was preceded by a campaign video posted over the weekend, in which Republicans were urged: ‘Vote early, vote by mail or vote in person on Election Day, November 3’ — a message that, as Reuters reports, marks a turn from the president’s earlier rhetoric.

His administration had tried to tighten the rules for mail voting ahead of the midterm elections, but the Supreme Court in September refused to allow the Postal Service to implement the new rules. Meanwhile, some Republicans have worried that warnings against mail voting could lower turnout among conservative voters in rural areas.

The context is not favourable for the president: a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday puts Trump’s approval at 32 percent — the lowest level ever recorded — while registered voters prefer the Democrats 44 percent to 37 percent for Congress.