Donald Trump's crusade to restrict or end mail-in voting has butted up against resistance from House Republicans whose electoral prospects depend on maximizing voter turnout.
According to Politico reporter Mia McCarthy, the White House tried behind the scenes to strong-arm Republicans to include mail-in voting restrictions in the recently passed SAVE America Act, but the effort proved unsuccessful. Some GOP lawmakers have grown frustrated with the president's demands.
Trump has publicly criticized mail-in voting, telling reporters, "Why would you want mail-in ballots if you know it's corrupt? It's a corrupt system," and posted on Truth Social, "NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS (EXCEPT FOR ILLNESS, DISABILITY, MILITARY, OR TRAVEL!)." Despite these statements, few GOP lawmakers have heeded his call and the pressure campaign collapsed in on itself.
New York Representative Mike Lawler, facing a challenging reelection campaign, expressed frustration with the president's logic, telling reporters, "I support the use of mail-in voting. The idea that some states just mail out ballots without any requests is absurd, but the use of mail-in balloting, I do not have an objection."
Several House Republicans sympathize with Trump's concerns about mailed ballots but have expressed caution. Many represent states like Florida with long histories of extensive mail voting and little evidence of widespread abuse.
At the state level, Republicans are implementing comprehensive voter outreach campaigns that include mail-in voting options. Lawler emphasized that the White House should focus on maximizing Republican turnout regardless of voting method.
"If they vote by mail, if they vote early, if they vote on Election Day, the objective is to get them out and vote," Lawler stated.
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