Trump raises possibility of delaying U.S. election in November

Washington, US | XINHUA | U.S. President Donald Trump raised the possibility on Thursday of delaying the country’s presidential election in November, alleging that “universal mail-in voting” will make the 2020 election “the most inaccurate and fraudulent” in history.

“It will be a great embarrassment to the USA,” he continued. “Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”

The tweet, released on the same day when the Commerce Department reported a 32.9-percent collapse of the U.S. economy in the second quarter, has been immediately questioned.

U.S. Senator Tom Udall tweeted that “There is no way @POTUS can delay the election. We shouldn’t let him distract us from his #COVID19 incompetence.”

According to the U.S. Constitution, Congress “may determine the Time of choosing the Electors, and the Day of which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.”

Since 1845, the U.S. Congress has required the appointment of presidential electors to take place on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, which is Nov. 3 this year.

Trump’s tweet on Thursday is his latest allegation that mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud, as many states have expanded access to mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 4.4 million people in the United States and killed 150,000 of them.

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XINHUA