Republicans must start embracing early and mail-in voting
Christopher Tremoglie
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It’s the harsh reality that many Republicans didn’t want to admit: Democrats outfoxed Republicans in the 2020 elections. With the COVID-19 pandemic in full effect, early and mail-in voting were political tactics used by the Democrats to win the election. Regardless of one’s feelings for such voting techniques and the many claims of fraud that accompanied them, the Democrats strategically used early and mail-in voting to mobilize the population and get out the vote. It was so successful that they used it again in the last two elections, much to the chagrin of GOP voters nationwide.
However, it will be 2024 in less than 50 days. The nation is now less than a year away from the most critical election in its history. Yet, Republicans are struggling to get voters to embrace early and mail-in voting. Why? Because of the oft-repeated-yet-still-to-be-proved claim of voter fraud. For some inexplicable reason, after being trounced by the Democrats in nearly every election since 2020, a tactic that was used by the Democrats three times to achieve electoral success, many Republican voters are dinosaurs stuck in the past and refuse to catch up with the times.
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Former President Donald Trump is a significant reason. The 46th president, who cited the use of mail-in ballots and early voting as a reason for his 2020 election loss, has never quite embraced the benefits of voting early and, as part of a disastrous strategy, encouraged Republicans to vote at the polls on the day of the election instead of participating in early or mail-in voting. He has reversed course somewhat on the topic, but he hasn’t fully come around to the process — only appearing, as the Washington Examiner’s Max Thornberry reported last week, to be “lukewarm” on the topic.
But refusing to use these tools to vote is self-destructive. It’s a silly and stubborn act, with such an unwillingness to let go of the past and “get with the times” — a mentality that is only going to doom the GOP in future elections. They can use it to improve the GOP’s performance in national elections. If they don’t, it will be nothing but an act of self-sabotage that will only benefit the Democrats. It won’t be voter fraud that will cost Republicans elections. It will be an unwillingness to adapt and change that will.
If Republicans hope to win in 2024, and if Trump is the nominee, he must get on board with early and mail-in voting. Otherwise, it will be another embarrassing defeat to a political party that has repeatedly demonstrated how to outsmart Republicans at every turn.