PLANT CITY, Florida — President Donald Trump voted by mail in Florida’s Republican primary, according to local voting records, even as he continues to rail against mail-in voting with wide-ranging allegations of fraud.
Voting records from Palm Beach County show the president requested his ballot in late July and it was returned on Aug. 13.
This is not the first time that Trump has voted by mail in his adopted home state. He voted by mail in a special election in Palm Beach County earlier this year.
Florida’s GOP primary features a crowded ballot for governor that includes Trump-endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds, who is seen as the frontrunner. But he is being challenged by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former state House speaker Paul Renner and James Fishback, an investor and harsh critic of Donalds who has embraced far-right rhetoric on Israel and other topics.
Trump, who has falsely claimed he won the 2020 election, has repeatedly pushed Congress this year to adopt the SAVE America Act, a measure that mandates the use of photo IDs in federal elections as well as documentary proof of citizenship.
“As President Trump has said, the SAVE America Act has commonsense exceptions for Americans to use mail-in ballots for illness, disability, military, or travel — but universal mail-in voting should not be allowed because it’s highly susceptible to fraud,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said. “As everyone knows, the President is a resident of Palm Beach and participates in Florida elections, but he obviously primarily lives at the White House in Washington, D.C. This is a non-story.”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is trying to get the Supreme Court to allow a presidential executive order on mail-in voting to take effect ahead of the midterms. That order was blocked by a federal appeals court earlier this year.
Trump continues to rail at the use of mail-in voting and says the current practice should be limited to those who in the military, are traveling or have a disability or illness.
“Mail-in ballots are inherently corrupt,” Trump said during a July speech on elections.
Republicans hold a supermajority in the Florida Legislature but they have not bowed to Trump’s demands to severely limit who can vote by mail. Florida has a long-standing law that allows every eligible registered voter to request a vote-by-mail ballot.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislators have put in restrictions in recent years to crack down on what they call “ballot harvesting” that limits who can pick up someone’s ballot and deliver it to election officials. The state has also put in place a requirement that voters must re-up their ballot request every two years and have added additional ID requirements for the use of mail-in ballots.
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