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NEWS: AG Barr just sat down with @NPRinskeep, who asked him about his theory (which has been thoroughly debunked by election officials+experts) that foreign countries could print millions of ballots to interfere with mail voting in November...
Here's a walk thru of his claims
Here's a walk thru of his claims
Barr called the security measures that election officials use "primitive" and said expanding vote by mail would be "very bad."
He said he supports in in limited cases ("ppl traveling around the world")
but worth noting he voted by mail in '19 and '12 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/22/trump-officials-vote-by-mail/
He said he supports in in limited cases ("ppl traveling around the world")
but worth noting he voted by mail in '19 and '12 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/22/trump-officials-vote-by-mail/
To address the "primitive" comment specifically:
--Many states now have ballot tracking technology (like Amazon packages) and barcodes.
-- Also signature verification. The ballots would need to have signatures from voters that match the one on file. https://www.npr.org/2020/06/22/881598655/fact-check-trump-spreads-unfounded-claims-about-voting-by-mail
--Many states now have ballot tracking technology (like Amazon packages) and barcodes.
-- Also signature verification. The ballots would need to have signatures from voters that match the one on file. https://www.npr.org/2020/06/22/881598655/fact-check-trump-spreads-unfounded-claims-about-voting-by-mail
. @votinggeek explained to me why a plot like the one Barr is scared of, would be almost impossible to pull off at scale
Barr also compared the mailing of ballots to people (who in most cases have requested them and provided the elections office with their most up to date address and IMPORTANTLY noted a desire to receive one) to erroneous stimulus money that has gone out this summer
Just talked to @aztammyp, who called it an incorrect apple to apples comparison for a number of reasons.
Stimulus money is based on federal list (not regularly maintained) whereas voter rolls, ESPECIALLY in states that use vote by mail more, are much more regularly updated
Stimulus money is based on federal list (not regularly maintained) whereas voter rolls, ESPECIALLY in states that use vote by mail more, are much more regularly updated
There's still some deadweight for sure, but that's why many election officials say universal access to a REQUEST FORM is a good solution. Gives voters access to mail, and requires an up to date address
The A.G. also mentioned dollar bills and all the safeguards in place to make them hard to counterfeit; to contrast them with ballots, which he thinks are easy to counterfeit... This one is pretty easy to discard, for the reasons listed above
Maybe most importantly, Barr said he had no evidence to show foreign countries were actually plotting to do this. He said he knew broadly that countries want to interfere and this would be an easy target
"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out," he said
"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out," he said
So to be clear, this theory about foreign adversaries wanting to commit mass voter fraud (which he's talked about in NYTimes/Fox/NPR) is based on nothing more than his opinion of how voting works.
I've talked to no voting expert who believes this could happen
I've talked to no voting expert who believes this could happen
"I would never want to question Attorney Barr’s motivations in seeking to discredit the way tens of millions of Americans vote in this country," said Patrick. "I will say anyone in a position of power needs to make sure that the statements they make are true and accurate."
I emailed @gronke earlier this week about these claims, and here's how he put it:
"It shows a fundamental lack of understanding about the soup to nuts of administering an election"
"It shows a fundamental lack of understanding about the soup to nuts of administering an election"
Wash SoS @KimWyman12 invited Barr out to Washington state to see the security measures that are in place there (all mail state), in an intv w/me this week
Steve asked the A.G. if he would take her up on that, and he declined, but said he would be willing to have a phone call
Steve asked the A.G. if he would take her up on that, and he declined, but said he would be willing to have a phone call
The obvious question that comes up with every fact check, and every misleading voting statement: is this intentional, with an aim towards discrediting the results in November should Trump lose?
Many people (on both sides of the aisle) fear that could be the case
Many people (on both sides of the aisle) fear that could be the case
But even if it's not, it still has the same effect: lowering Americans' confidence in a system they have been losing faith in for the past two decades
