Former Republican State Rep. and Election Attorney Blasts Trump for Vote By Mail Lies

Yesterday, the Miami Herald published an op-ed by Juan- Carlos ‘J.C.’ Planas, a former Republican State Representative and member of the Miami-Dade County Republican legal team. Planas debunked Donald Trump’s partisan attacks on vote by mail as nothing more than a dangerous electoral strategy that “is an assault on democracy and an attempt to stage an electoral coup.”

Since the Presidential Preference Primary, Florida Democrats have dramatically outperformed Republicans enrolling voters in vote by mail. More than 597,000 Democrats enrolled in vote by mail since March 18th, compared to the more than 351,000 Republicans.

Miami Herald: Juan- Carlos ‘J.C.’ Planas: Trump is flat-out wrong. Mail-in voting is safer, not vulnerable to fraud, like he says | Opinion

KEY POINTS

• Because the president’s words still influence people, it is critical to lay bare the falsity of his claims about mail-in voting as the voting rights of millions around the country, including many Floridians, are at stake.
• As a former Republican member of the Florida Legislature, whose parents fled political oppression, I am appalled that my community would tolerate such an attack on our voting rights.
• Based on my 16 years of experience, I can assure voters that there is no merit to Trump’s baseless claims of widespread fraud in mail ballots.
• Conversely, we have now seen cases where the desire to thwart possible fraud has led to the rejection of votes that were legally cast by many of our weakest citizens, discarded because of technicalities such as signing their names in the wrong place. This is a form of voter disenfranchisement that must be rejected by all of us who are committed to upholding the fundamental pillars of our democracy.
• It’s an obvious attempt to cause chaos and depress turnout —and do so in a way to turn the electoral tide in his direction, believing his base of support lies predominantly in rural areas less affected by the spread of COVID-19.
• The assault on the right to vote must be stopped dead in its tracks. The false narrative of fraud must be rebuffed with all the air in our lungs. This desire to prevent people from voting by mail is an assault on democracy and an attempt to stage an electoral coup that must be put down immediately.