Disputes from mail-in ballots could make naming winner impossible by Jan. 20
'Real danger is extreme delay in gathering and reporting results'
[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]
By Peter J. Wallison
Real Clear Politics
Real Clear Politics
In a speech last week, President Trump said this about mail-in ballots for the coming election: “This will be the greatest catastrophe. One of the greatest catastrophes in the history of our country, that's how serious it is.”
Although this president is often given to exaggerations, this is not one of them. The disputes that will inevitably grow out of the widespread use of mail-in ballots could make it impossible to know who is elected president on Nov. 3 -- or even by Jan. 20, when the newly elected president is to take office. Although many assume that Trump is talking about fraud in mail-in balloting – and mail-in ballots will make fraud easier -- the real danger is extreme delay in gathering and reporting the election results. Disputes over ballot validity will descend on state and federal courts, all of it eventually reaching the Supreme Court. The 2000 fight over the Florida results was finally decided by the court on Dec. 12, 2000, and this was one dispute about one county in one state.
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