On Wednesday, President Donald Trump tweeted that he might "hold up funding" to Michigan over its plan to send mail-in voting applications to all voters as a safe solution to casting their ballots during the pandemic. Though Trump claims Michigan's actions are "illegal" and "without authorization," he cites no specific law as he furthers the partisan divide over whether mail-in voting should continue to be allowed at all, coronavirus or not.
"Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of the Primaries and the General Election," Trump tweeted in a "breaking news" post. "This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!" It is unclear what funding Trump is referring to. And, in a reply to his tweet, he tagged Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, Office of Budget and Management Director Russ Vought, and the U.S. Treasury.
Breaking: Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!..
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 20, 2020
Trump has also misinterpreted a critical piece of information: Michigan voters were sent ballot applications, not the ballots themselves ahead of the state's primary and the November general election. "By mailing applications we have ensured that no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote," said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in a statement released on May 19. After Trump's tweet, Benson chimed in on Twitter.
"We sent applications, not ballots," she wrote including Trump's original tweet. "Just like my GOP colleagues in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska, and West Virginia." In her tweet, Benson also pointed out the fact that the "rogue" Secretary of State Trump referred to was unnamed - a move the president has made in past announcements.
Hi! 👋🏼 I also have a name, it's Jocelyn Benson. And we sent applications, not ballots. Just like my GOP colleagues in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska and West Virginia. https://t.co/kBsu4nHvOy
- Jocelyn Benson (@JocelynBenson) May 20, 2020
"Mail in ballots are a very dangerous thing for this country because they're cheaters," Trump told reporters in March. Easier access to absentee ballots, Trump suggests, could determine whether the Republicans maintain control over the Senate or gain control over the House. In swing states like Michigan, where Trump only won by a 0.23% margin, mail-in voting could affect his bid for reelection.
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