President Trump and Republican lawmakers have argued against mail-in-voting in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic. As Democratic lawmakers make a push to allow more mail-in-voting in the upcoming 2020 November election, some members of the Trump administration are being called hypocrites and receiving criticism for taking part in the same method of voting.
Kayleigh McEnany, President Trump’s new White House Press Secretary, is facing backlash for having participated in mail-in-voting during every Florida election dating back to 2010 according to a voting review conducted by the Tampa Bay Times. This includes the Florida primaries that were held in March earlier this year.
On the subject of mail-in-voting, McEnany excused President Trump from using the method of voting, saying that he’s “the president, which means he’s here in Washington” and because “he’s unable to cast his vote down in Florida, his state of residence.”
In response to the information regarding McEnany’s voting record, Florida Rep. Ted Deutch (D) mockingly questioned the press secretary over her past actions.
Hey @PressSec,
Is mail-in voting you’ve used in Florida over the past decade still ok?
Should we make it harder to vote by mail in the middle of a pandemic?https://t.co/RJsibhKxHz
— Ted Deutch (@TedDeutch) May 31, 2020
On Twitter, the Democratic lawmaker asked, “is mail-in-voting you’ve used in Florida over the past decade still ok?” He further questioned, “should we make it harder to vote by mail in the middle of a pandemic?”
In response to the Tampa Bay Times’ findings, the press secretary released an email response, expressing that “absentee voting has the word absent in it for a reason,” adding that “it means you’re absent from the jurisdiction or unable to vote in person.” She further explained that “President Trump is against the Democrat plan to politicize the coronavirus and expand mass mail-in voting without a reason, which has a high propensity for voter fraud.”
She concluded that “this is a simple distinction that the media fails to grasp.”
The President and Republican lawmakers have had a contentious back-and-forth with Democratic lawmakers regarding the issue, and True the Vote has been actively campaigning to ensure that the upcoming elections are handled in a safe, productive and effective manner.
