RNC Chair Sounds the Alarm After Mail-In Voting Blunder Ahead of Primary Election
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel pointed to absentee ballots for South Carolina voters ending up in Maryland as an example of mail-in ballot problems.
“The media argues @realDonaldTrump has ‘no evidence’ of mail-in ballot problems. Oh really?” McDaniel tweeted.
“Look what just happened in SC, where Dems sued to force a rushed transition to mail with no safeguards. Their ballots magically appeared in Baltimore. How secure!”
The media argues @realDonaldTrump has “no evidence” of mail-in ballot problems.
Oh really?
Look what just happened in SC, where Dems sued to force a rushed transition to mail with no safeguards.
Their ballots magically appeared in Baltimore. How secure!https://t.co/DaCfteP97Y
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) May 21, 2020
McDaniel was responding to a report that some of South Carolina’s primary ballots ended up in Maryland this week.
Baltimore Sun reporter Emily Opilo tweeted about the strange occurrence on Wednesday.
“So here’s a crazy tidbit: Maryland election officials found a bunch of ballots from South Carolina mixed in with their shipments to Baltimore. They use the same vendor,” Opilo tweeted.
“SC’s statewide primary is June 9. As of this week, an unknown number of Charleston’s ballots were here in Baltimore. An SC official says they were losing confidence in the mail vendor even before this happened. An entire county didn’t get presidential ballots in Feb.”
SC’s statewide primary is June 9. As of this week, an unknown number of Charleston’s ballots were here in Baltimore. An SC official says they were losing confidence in the mail vendor even before this happened. An entire county didn’t get presidential ballots in Feb.
— Emily Opilo (@emilyopilo) May 20, 2020
According to state and county election officials, the roughly 20 ballots found in Maryland have since made their way to Charleston voters ahead of the June 9 primary for state and local seats.
However, South Carolina election officials are reportedly considering cutting ties with Minnesota printer SeaChange Print Innovations over the absentee ballot mix-up as well as other issues they’ve had with the company, The Post and Courier reported.
SeaChange prints and mails absentee ballots for 13 South Carolina counties.
Earlier this year, some Greenville County voters also received the wrong ballots for the Democratic presidential primary and a sheriff special election.
“We’re not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling that they can handle this,” South Carolina Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire said. “We are actively seeking sustainable solutions.”
Mail-in voting has been largely discussed as people look for safe ways to hold the 2020 presidential election.
Whereas absentee ballots can be requested by voters — in some states without an excuse — a ballot is automatically mailed to every eligible voter in a vote-by-mail system, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
That would make it easier for people who otherwise might not vote to take part in elections.
Currently, there are five states that conduct all elections by mail: Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
President Donald Trump has been vocal about his opposition to statewide mail-in voting, saying that “Democrats are clamoring for it.”
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