Obama says he voted by mail: ‘It’s not as tough as a lot of folks think’

Former President Obama on Thursday shared in a video posted on Twitter that he had voted by mail.

In the video, Obama explains the process of voting by mail, saying: “I’ve been voting by mail for years. And you’ll see it’s not as tough as a lot of folks think.”

When it came time to fill out the form, he says, “Generally, I don’t share my ballot. In this case, though, I think you all know I’m voting for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”

I just voted by mail for @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. If you’re planning on doing the same, follow all the instructions carefully, and drop it in the mail or at a ballot drop box right away. Here, I’ll show you: pic.twitter.com/S4gg0B5RXN

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 22, 2020

“You may find that some of these local races, you don’t know what they mean. You don’t know who might be the most qualified,” he continued. “A lot of times what you can do is find some news source or information source that you trust, or there’s an organization in your community that reflects your views or cares about your issues. A lot of times they’ll give you a voter guide and they can tell you, ‘Here are the various candidates and what they stand for,’ so you’re informed when you’re actually filling out the rest of your ballot.

“Even a former president of the United States sometimes finds this really handy,” he added.

Last week, Obama filmed 18 separate, state-specific videos on how to vote in 2020, saying in his first instructional, “So much is at stake in this election, from getting the pandemic under control to building a fairer economy to taking on climate change to protecting our health care. You can change our direction on every issue. That’s the power of your vote.”

Mail-in ballots have been repeatedly attacked by President Trump, who has claimed that the practice would lead to widespread fraud.

FBI Director Christopher Wray has pushed back on the notion, saying last month, “We have not seen, historically, any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election whether it’s by mail or otherwise.”

On Thursday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) accused Trump of “trying to create chaos” with his repeated criticisms of mail-in voting.

A record number of voters have already cast their ballots this year, and many more are expected to vote by mail due to concerns around the coronavirus pandemic.

Obama made his first in-person appearance on the campaign trail on Wednesday, appearing in Pennsylvania a day after Trump held a rally in Erie. Pa.

“The president spent some time in Erie last night and apparently he complained about having to travel here. Then he cut the event short. Poor guy. I don’t feel that way. I love coming to Pennsylvania,” Obama said at the event.