President Trump had threatened to withhold federal aid from the state of Michigan if they move forward with their plan to mail absentee ballots to every resident.
According to the president, mailing the absentee ballots is a governmental overreach and is potentially in violation of the state’s law not to do so.
“Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election,” Trump tweeted Wednesday. “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!”
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 claims voters should either show up in-person to a voting booth or should have to request an absentee ballot — not be just handed one.
To the people attacking @realDonaldTrump for his tweet on absentee ballot applications in Michigan:
According to the law, he's 100% right 👇👇👇 https://t.co/fbvmjTBF5Z
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) May 20, 2020
Some people responding to the post claimed Michigan amended their law to allow for the proactive mailing of absentee ballots. This claim was refuted by other users:
No they did not. They opened no reason absentee voting up. But it did not give clerks the ability to proactively mail applications to voters. It gave voters the ability to vote by absentee ballot.
— stusandler (@stusandler) May 20, 2020
Prop 3 gave every voter in Michigan the right to vote by absentee ballot no reason. It did not change the process how clerks and the SOS administer AV ballots. MI statute still requires the voter to make the request. It prohibits clerks from proactively mailing applications.
— stusandler (@stusandler) May 20, 2020
no, it was amended to allow voters to vote by mail but they have to request it. It doesn't automatically get sent out, which is what happened
— Kristen with an e, the right way (@AtlKristent) May 20, 2020
The Associated Press reports:
Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, announced the mailing Tuesday as part of the state’s efforts to confront voters’ concerns about the pandemic. Benson says the money came from $11.2 million it received from the federal government for elections.
Republicans in the state’s GOP-led Legislature criticized the mailing Tuesday, saying local clerks traditionally have handled absentee ballot requests.
Normally in Michigan, it is up to voters to ask their local clerk for an absentee ballot.
The March presidential primary was the first major election in Michigan in which people could vote absentee without needing an excuse following the approval of a 2018 ballot initiative.