Trump urges supporters to vote by mail despite fraud claims

By Gram Slattery

WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump encouraged supporters on Saturday and again on Monday to vote by mail if they wanted, a change of tone for the ​US president, who has for years described mail-in voting ‌as a practice rife with fraud.

Speaking to reporters at the White House before departing for a rally in Nebraska on Monday afternoon, Trump said his supporters could vote by mail in the coming congressional midterm elections on November 3, even ‌as ​he said he preferred in-person voting.

“They can ⁠vote by mail if they ⁠want, because we seem to have no choice because a lot of people want to vote by mail, but a lot of very good people also want to vote in-person,” Trump said. “You ​can do either.”

The comments came after he posted a campaign video over the weekend encouraging Republicans to vote.

“Vote early, vote by mail or ⁠vote in-person on Election Day, November ⁠3rd,” Trump said.

It was not immediately clear why Trump ​changed his tone. The president has repeatedly made false claims that his ​2020 election defeat was the result of voter fraud, including ‌with mail-in ballots. The Trump administration tried to significantly tighten the rules governing mail-in voting heading into the midterm elections, though the Supreme Court in September declined to allow the Postal Service to enforce ⁠the new rules.

Some Republicans have in the past expressed concern that discouraging mail-in voting could reduce turnout among conservative rural voters, a core part of ⁠Trump’s base, some ‌of whom live relatively far from polling stations.

Republicans ⁠are entering the final weeks of the campaign in ​a ‌difficult national political environment. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed ​on Monday found ⁠Trump’s approval rating at 32%, holding at September’s record low, while registered voters preferred Democrats over Republicans 44% to 37% when asked which party they would support in the midterms. Among independents, Democrats led 37% to 21%, with 28% undecided.

(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Caitlin Webber ​and Kate Mayberry)