(Headline USA) Sen. Mitt Romney said Friday that politicians attacking the vote by mail system are threatening global democracy but stopped short of criticizing President Donald Trump, who has been openly against an expected surge of mail-in ballots.
The United States must stand as an example to more fragile democratic nations to show that elections can be held in a free and fair manner, Romney said.
He urged the federal government to make every effort to ensure that people are able to vote in the general election this November.
“That’s more important even than the outcome of the vote,” he said at a virtual event hosted by the conservative Utah-based Sutherland Institute.
“We have got to preserve the principle of democracy or the trend we’re on is going to continue to get worse,” he continued.
Evidence has suggested that increased mail-in voting because of the coronavirus pandemic could result in fraud.
Primaries in states including battleground Wisconsin showed ample cases of ballots failing to be delivered by the post office.
In other cases, such as the toss-up Nevada, attempts to mail ballots to all registered voters resulted in thousands being delivered to the wrong address.
Trump has threatened to cut off funding to the failing U.S. Postal Service if Democrats in blue states continue to push the radical measures.
But in a press conference Thursday he reiterated that he does not oppose absentee voting for vulnerable populations who go through the proper screening procedures, only those that intend to send ballots without discretion in states that also have actively fought to avoid updating their voter rolls.
Romney, the only Republican in either chamber of Congress to support Trump’s impeachment, claimed he has seen no evidence that voting by mail has led to fraud.
In fact, he added, this voting method may be even more secure than electronic voting because it’s less likely to invite hacking interference by foreign entities.
He said he would support providing additional funds to states to strengthen their voting systems.
The Republican lawmaker also discussed what he called the threat of an emerging Chinese economy and military that he says has been able to expand with virtually no pushback.
Romney said the U.S. will need to work together with other free nations to “stop China’s predation.”
He applauded the Trump administration for being tough on China. But Romney said that sticking to a nationalist “America First” approach will further alienate the U.S. from its allies and push them to support China’s interests instead.
“We’re pulling out of the world,” Romney said. “As America retreats and China pushes forward, why the nations of the world will line up behind China.”
