Fear of Trump challenging mail-in ballots appears to be flooding early voting sites

Voters are turning out early in record numbers ahead of the midterms, but far fewer of them are using the mail. The University of Florida's Election Lab counts more than 22 million ballots already cast, with Democrats supplying over 45 percent. Voting rights groups and election experts link the shift to President Donald Trump's attacks on mail voting and his push to take control of how elections are run, according to The Independent.

Ohio's requests for mail ballots have fallen roughly 28 percent from 2022, while in-person early voting there has climbed nearly 200 percent. Georgia has accepted about 69,000 mailed ballots, over 50 percent fewer than at this point four years ago. Texas early voting is up 74 percent, Kansas has more than doubled, and Maine and North Carolina are each up more than 30 percent. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called the records proof that residents trust the process.

The Supreme Court earlier turned down Trump's bid to restrict mail voting, and Congress did not act on his proposals. University of Florida professor Michael McDonald suggests the shift may help Democrats, since rejected mail ballots are a common way voters lose their votes.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →