East New Mexico News

Sen. Pat Woods (R-District 7) of New Mexico indicated voters are being fed misinformation about mail-in voting and that harvesting of votes is possible by politically motivated groups if vigilance is not exercised.

“It is imperative that voters request a mail-in ballot,” Woods told East New Mexico News. “You cannot vote in-person if you have requested a mail-in. That eliminates that fraud.”

Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have been critical of mail-in ballots although according to a USA Today report, the question is dividing GOP representatives who fear the issue may be discouraging their own voters as much as it is the Democrats.

"The narrative that he (Trump) has created has backfired," Michael Steele, a former Republican National Committee chairman, told USA Today. "Any Republican who's running a campaign knows how much we rely on absentee ballots – vote by mail – for turnout."

According to the report, just before the Republican Convention over twice as many Democrats as Republicans in Pennsylvania, a key state for Trump to win reelection, had requested mail ballots, almost 900,000 of them.

In Florida, Democrats were over Republicans by more than 600,000 ballot requests.   

Trump has been critical of “universal mail-in balloting” as opposed to absentee requested voting, saying it invites fraud, though an NBC report said there is no widespread evidence of fraud in the U.S.

Universal mail-in is where every citizen gets a ballot in their mail. To request an absentee ballot you must be a registered voter.

The movement to increase universal mail-in voting has been given impetus from the COVID-19 pandemic, and backers say there is less risk from voting from home rather than a crowded polling station.

Woods told East New Mexico News the important thing is to get voters to care enough to vote.

“I had a constituent call me yesterday saying Trump is going to outlaw mail-in voting,” Woods said. “I told her that was determined by a county clerk using guidance from the SOS (Secretary of State). She would not believe me because she saw and heard it on television. So the media is energizing voters with false information.”

Woods added that ballot harvesting among groups trying to skew election results is a concern.

“Someone received a ballot but laid it aside,” he said. “A third party comes to the door and volunteers to help fill it out and mail it. So the real question is, can a party create an army of volunteers to harvest (ballots) and be successful enough to influence elections? Should there be a law against harvesting?”