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Trump Backs Away from Idea of Delaying Election, but Still Concerned: 'I Don't Want to See a Crooked Election'

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WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump backed away from the idea of delaying the November election over concerns about mail-in ballots after he tweeted it would lead to the "most inaccurate & fraudulent election in history."

The idea was quickly shot down by Democrat and Republican lawmakers alike. Trump eventually addressed the issue on Thursday night during a press conference.

"Do I want to see a day change? No, but I don't want to see a crooked election," Trump said. "This election will be the most rigged election in the history if that happens." 

Trump points to concerns over voter fraud and the massive problems with a Presidential election depending so heavily on mail-in voting. 
 
"Well, what I want to explain to people, but it doesn't need much explanation, I mean you look at article after article. New York's mail vote disaster. Tens of thousands of mail ballots have been tossed out of this year's primaries. What will happen in November?" Trump asked.

New York tried to let residents vote by mail in the June primaries, and that led to massive delays, the system was overwhelmed with votes and many races still haven't been counted weeks later. 

New York warns the situation could get even worse in November. 

MORE 'Absolute Catastrophe': New York's Mail-In Mess and What It Could Mean for the Presidential Election
 
"A switch from almost no absentee ballots to approximately 50 percent absentee ballots in with two months notice rally strains the system," said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York. 

The President referred to multiple news stories about the concerns with mail-in voting. California also experienced major problems where more than 100,000 mail-in votes were rejected in the Presidential primaries in March. 

Miami-Dade County Judges Eleane Sosa-Bruzon, left, and Victoria Ferrer, right, examine signatures on vote-by-mail ballots for the August 18 primary election at the Miami-Dade County Elections Department, July 30, 2020 (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The Heritage Foundations's Hans Von Spakovsky explained on CBN's Faith Nation that one problem with mail-in voting is the rejection rate is much higher than polling places. 
 
"What election officials need to be doing is trying to ensure that as many polling places are open to vote in person, but using all the same safety protocols we're using when we go to the grocery store or our pharmacies," Von Spakovsky said. "Look, the CDC just released guidelines on how to safely do in-person voting with all those kind of safety protocols in place."

President Trump doesn't have the power to change the date of the election anyway, that's up to Congress, and they certainly don't plan to do so. But the concerns over a heavy dependence on mail-in voting aren't new. 
 
Meanwhile, a Wall Street Journal editorial warned in May that a close presidential election could lead to an election nightmare – with a close race where many votes aren't counted or thrown out, and lawsuits are filed. That could lead to an election that could further divide an already polarized country.

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About The Author

Ben
Kennedy

Ben Kennedy is an Emmy Award-winning White House correspondent for CBN News in Washington, D.C. He has more than a decade of reporting experience covering breaking news nationwide. He's traveled cross country covering the President and scored exclusive interviews with lawmakers and White House officials. Kennedy spent seven years reporting for WPLG, the ABC affiliate in Miami, Florida. While there he reported live from Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Matthew hit the island. He was the first journalist to interview Diana Nyad moments after her historic swim from Cuba to Key West. He reported