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Donald Trump, experts differ on rigged elections

No evidence that such large-scale fraud exists: Experts

Washington: Donald Trump is insisting that voter fraud does, indeed, pose a significant threat to the integrity of the U.S. electoral system, claiming the election could be rigged “at the polling booths” despite a lack of evidence and experts’ insistence to the contrary.

Speaking at a rally on Tuesday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Mr Trump doubled down on his widely condemned attempts to undermine the election’s outcome, which are unprecedented in modern presidential politics. “They even want to try to rig the election at the polling booths. And believe me, there’s a lot going on,” Mr Trump said.

“Do you ever hear these people? They say there’s nothing going on. People that have died 10 years ago are still voting. Illegal immigrants are voting. I mean, where are the street smarts of some of these politicians?”

Mr Trump’s comments have alarmed voting rights experts and civil rights groups, who say they threaten to undermine faith in the nation’s elections. Meanwhile, other Republicans are expressing confidence in the voting systems.
Numerous studies, however, have shown that voter fraud in U.S. elections is very rare.

Republican campaign lawyer Chris Ashby said Trump’s charges could foment unrest and were “unfounded” and “dangerous.”

“When you say an election is rigged, you’re telling voters, your supporters, their votes do not matter,” Mr Ashby said in an interview.

Mark Braden, partner at Baker and Hostetler and former chief counsel for the Republican National Committee, said that any sort of election rigging at the national level “just is impossible,” citing the various systems in place that would make such an endeavor complicated and unfeasible.

( Source : Agencies )
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