Stacey Abrams Says Trump’s Suggestion to Vote Twice Will Hurt “Good-Intentioned People”

Speaking to Yahoo News, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said President Donald Trump’s suggestion for people to vote twice in November’s election will hurt “good-intentioned people.” Voting twice in the same election is illegal.

“What’s most worrisome to me is that people who … were not the voters he was trying to encourage but are low-information about how the process works — which is most Americans — that you’re going to have good-intentioned people who are voting for the first time, who were drawn to this process because they want to do what’s right, who are going to be … disproportionately and discriminatorily treated,” Abrams said, pointing out that although the president appeared to be speaking to his own base, his comments could potentially mislead those who do not support his reelection.

The president first generated controversy earlier this week when he urged North Carolinians to vote twice on Election Day.

“Let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their system’s as good as they say it is, then obviously they won’t be able to vote,” the president said. “If it isn’t tabulated, they’ll be able to vote. That’s the way it is and that’s what they should do.”

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The following day, the president attacked the process of mail-in voting (which research shows greatly increases voter turnout) and suggested people send in their ballots as soon as possible, go to their polling places when early voting becomes available to see if their vote has been counted, and then vote in person if their vote has not been tabulated. It is illegal to vote twice in the same election.

No polling place works this way. In many states, the process of counting votes does not begin until polling places are officially closed on Election Day. Many states also have an online system that allows voters to check the status of their mail-in ballot and see if it’s been received. There is no reason whatsoever to go to a polling place and vote again if you’ve already voted.

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.