Trump Tells Voters To Change Their Votes—But Only A Few States Allow That

Topline

President Trump again suggested Tuesday that voters who already cast their ballots for Joe Biden should go back and change their votes, claiming “most states” allow voters to do so—even though only a handful do, and it may already be too late.

LANSING, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 27: U.S. President Donald Trump addresses thousands of supporters during ... [+] a campaign rally at Capital Region International Airport October 27, 2020 in Lansing, Michigan. With one week until Election Day, Trump is campaigning in Michigan, a state he won in 2016 by less than 11,000 votes, the narrowest margin of victory in the state's presidential election history. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Trump’s claim is misleading: a handful of states allow voters to change their vote, but the process can be onerous.

In Michigan and Wisconsin, voters can request to “spoil” their mail-in ballots by a certain deadline and receive a new ballot (voters in Minnesota can do the same, but the deadline has already passed, according to the Associated Press)

Pennsylvania, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, New Hampshire, Indiana, and New Mexico allow voters to spoil their ballots (to varying degrees) only if their ballot has not been processed already, according to ABC News.

In Connecticut, a voter’s ability to claw back their ballot depends on the town they live in, while in New York, a voter can go cast their ballot in-person even if they already submitted their ballot by mail (if the voter casts a ballot in-person, the absentee ballot is voided, according to ABC News)

In Arkansas and several other states a voter can request another ballot (or more than one) if they make a mistake, but once the ballot is placed in the ballot box, a voter can not get another ballot.

Crucial Quote

“Strongly Trending (Google) since immediately after the second debate is CAN I CHANGE MY VOTE?” Trump said on Twitter Tuesday. “This refers changing it to me. The answer in most states is YES. Go do it. Most important Election of your life!”

Key Background

Trump is correct that searches using the phrase increased after the debate, but it’s not clear if that spike was due to the debate, or simply conservative outlets writing about it. It’s also not fair to conclude that the searches were of people hoping to change their votes from Biden to supporting Trump, as the president claimed—it’s just as likely people could have been looking to switch their votes to Biden after voting for Trump.

Surprising Fact

In New Hampshire this year, some voters became worried their vote would not count because they used sharpies that bled through the ballot. State officials have conveyed “mixed messages” about whether the ballot would be voided, reports the Concord Monitor.

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