Aug 1, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Rubio says he's "not concerned" about mail-in voting in Florida

Sen. Marco Rubio. Photo: Al-Drago-Pool/Getty Images

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in a Trump campaign press call on Saturday that he's "not concerned" about the safety of mail-in voting in Florida.

Why it matters: President Trump has blasted mail-in voting as unsafe and subject to fraud ahead of the 2020 election. The coronavirus pandemic has increased the push for mail-in voting as Americans look to socially distance and avoid crowded polling places.

  • Survey research from one of Trump's campaign pollsters in May showed broad support for more absentee voting and openness to vote-by-mail expansions amid the pandemic.

Between the lines via Axios' Alayna Treene: Many Republican leaders privately admit that the president's messaging condemning mail-in voting is problematic. They recognize that absentee ballots are needed to secure necessary Republican votes, particularly with older, white voters.

  • However, they assert that Trump is making a distinction between absentee ballots (which voters must request) and mail-in voting (when applications are sent out automatically), but acknowledge that most voters don't recognize the difference.

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Data: Axios/Ipsos poll; Note: ±3.0% margin of error for the total sample; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

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Why it matters: This could pose a significant disadvantage for Joe Biden and other Democratic candidates in November if the pattern holds — especially in states where high infection rates persist, or where there are significant hurdles to mail-in, absentee or early voting.

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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

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  4. Politics: White House will require staff to undergo randomized testing — Pelosi says Birx "enabled" Trump on misinformation.
  5. Sports: 13 members of St. Louis Cardinals test positive, prompting MLB to cancel Tigers series — Former FDA chief says MLB outbreaks should be warning sign.
  6. 1 🎥 thing: "Tenet" may be the first major film to get a global pandemic release.
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