VP Hopeful Stacey Abrams Claims Trump Is 'Illegitimate and Should Not Hold Office'
Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said President Donald Trump is “illegitimate and should not hold office” because he opposes vote-by-mail in the 2020 election.
“The challenge that he sees is that it will increase the likelihood of those who are confined to home actually using that time to participate in the election,” Abrams told CNN’s David Axelrod on his Thursday episode of “The Axe Files” podcast.
“And any time a leader is afraid of people speaking their minds and making their selections, he is illegitimate and should not hold office.”
Mail-in voting has been largely discussed as people look for safe ways to hold the 2020 presidential election.
Whereas absentee ballots can be requested by voters — in some states without an excuse — a ballot is automatically mailed to every eligible voter in a vote-by-mail system, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
That would make it easier for people who otherwise might not vote to take part in elections.
Currently, there are five states that conduct all elections by mail: Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
Abrams said that in response to the coronavirus pandemic, voting by mail will make sure that everyone stays home and stays safe.
“We are pushing for in the vote by mail compulsion that we are trying to push up, that we are hearing that we need in the next CARES package is this: vote by mail is one way to ensure that we have safe, accessible voting and it is coupled with voting in person,” Abrams said.
“There is no legitimate reason to remove both unless you are a state that has been doing this for so long you have solved the issues of mass in-person voting.”
Abrams also touted herself as a strong candidate for former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate during the podcast.
The presumptive Democratic nominee has committed to choosing a woman as his running mate.
“I have the deepest respect for every woman who is being talked about and who should be considered for this post,” Abrams said.
“But I know that for communities of color, particularly for the black community, there has got to be a recognition that their needs are met. And we have to have candidates who are able to not only speak to them, but turn them out.”
She pointed to the importance of ensuring general election voter turnout, saying that they do not pay as much attention to politics as primary election voters do.
“There has to be an intentionality to turning them out. A lot of folks can do that. I’m one of those people,” Abrams added.
“And I have proven it by turning out more people of color in an election than anyone in 2018 did. Not by race, but by raw number.”
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