GOP senator: ‘You can do’ mail-in voting with laws in place to limit ‘fraud’

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said on Sunday that states can conduct mail-in voting for the November election amid the coronavirus pandemic, but said laws to mitigate fraud need to be in place. 

“I think as long as you can do it safely, and as long as you can make sure there’s no fraud. we ought to be able to do absentee ballots like we do it in Florida,” Scott said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” 

CNN’s Dana Bash asked Scott if he believes there can be absentee or mail-in voting without fraud. 

“Yeah if you follow the law, and you enforce the law, and you set up the laws the right way you can do it,” he said. 

“I think as long as you can do it safely, as long as you can make sure there’s no fraud, we ought to be able to do absentee ballots like we do it in Florida,” Sen. Rick Scott says about mail-in voting as President Trump criticized the system. #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/y7XEaz7NBH

— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) May 24, 2020

Scott’s comments come as President Trump has condemned Democrats’ efforts to expand mail-in voting efforts amid the pandemic. Trump told reporters last Thursday that mail-in ballots would lead to “total election fraud.” 

“You said you have laws to make sure there’s no fraud. The president is saying that mail-in voting in 2020 will lead to ‘total election fraud.’ It sounds like you disagree with that,” Bash said on Sunday, referring to the president’s remarks. 

“Well I think what he’s saying is that it’s only, they’re talking about only doing mail-in ballots. I believe you can do it safely and you have the laws and everybody follows the laws, I think that’s the key,” Scott responded. “I’m fine with absentee ballots the way we do it in Florida, with early voting the way we do it in Florida, with Election Day voting, which is clearly the safest.” 

Trump’s on Wednesday also threatened to withhold federal funding to Michigan and Nevada over efforts for the states to expand mail-in voting efforts. Michigan announced every registered voter in the state would receive applications for absentee ballots in the mail, and Nevada is holding a mail-in primary election.