From PolitiFact Texas:
No evidence that early voting exposes elections to ‘chicanery’ and fraud
On the day after Election Day, Texas Republican Party Chairman Allen West joined conservative talk radio host Rick Roberts on the air to express concerns about Joe Biden’s lead over President Donald Trump after mail-in ballots in several battleground states were tallied.
West’s grievances over absentee ballots were similar to the claims made by some Republicans since Election Day — that the record numbers of mail-in ballots led to widespread voter fraud that allowed Democrats to steal the election from Trump. (No evidence has yet been uncovered proving these claims.)
But West takes the claims of fraud further by not just casting aspersions on mail-in voting. He goes on to say, without citing evidence, that early in-person voting also invites fraud.
“We don’t need to have this early voting. The election day should be a national holiday, but when you hear people talk about we can extend (the early voting period by) two days, seven days, two weeks after Election Day,” West said, apparently misspeaking about when early voting occurs relative to Election Day. “It just opens it up for this chicanery and this fraud that we’re seeing.”
“There’s no doubt,” replied Roberts, who hosts his show on WBAP 820 in Dallas-Fort Worth. “I agree with absolutely everything you’ve just said.”
It’s not the first time West attacked early voting…
PolitiFact rates West’s claim as False.
Read the full story at PolitiFact, and listen to an interview with PolitiFact Texas’ Brandon Mulder in the audio player above.
