For years, the Florida GOP has spent millions on mail-in ballots, and in return, they’ve won.
But will the state GOP support an effort by President Trump to end their success? President Trump said he still intends to sign an executive order banning mail-in voting.
President Donald Trump also said he will be signing an executive order ending mail-in voting and requiring voter ID. He says it will eliminate voter fraud.
“The president’s executive order will be challenged on constitutional authority, who controls the voting process in states like Florida,” says GOP election attorney Lindsey Brock.
“States are merely an ‘agent’ for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes,” said the President.
Brock says the states and the federal government play a role when it comes to election laws.
Article 1, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution says state legislatures are empowered to prescribe the “times, places, and manner” of federal elections.
This included states like Florida having the final say in their elections and having the power to set their own policies for mail-in voting.
Florida determines whether mail-in voting is available, and mandates that voters looking to vote by mail must do upon request. Florida also oversees voter registration, ballot return, and voter counting and processing.
President Trump says in-person voting is the only method to trust. But when it comes to military personnel overseas, how would they be able to accomplish that? Even if they voted in person on a base overseas, their vote would still have to be mailed or delivered from that location. Federal law allows military personnel and citizens residing overseas to register and vote absentee.
The Constitution specifically says that Congress, not the President, can “make or alter” state election regulations.
Not just Florida, but the Republican National Committee, handpicked by then-candidate Trump, spent millions to have voters mail in their absentee ballots, and the success got President Trump into the White House.
