At nearly every Donald Trump rally, scripted early voting prompts are loaded onto the teleprompter. But these words are rarely the actual message the former president conveys to his audience.
The Republican National Committee has adopted early voting in 2024. Trump promoted it in recordings he made at the GOP convention and in advertisements across the country, as well as in transcripts of his prepared speeches at rallies. But live and on the trail, Trump’s tone on the issue remains inconsistent, often eschewing remarks and instead casting doubt on the legitimacy of the early voting process, confusing Republican voters and potentially hampering the party’s efforts to pursue votes. this fall.
“They have early voting, late voting, everything is so ridiculous,” Trump said on stage in Palm Beach, Florida, in July. “We should have one-day voting, paper ballots, voter ID card and citizenship certificate. We are also trying to do that.”
Meanwhile, Trump-appointed leaders of the RNC, Chairman Michael Whatley and co-chair Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law, toured the country on the “Save the Vote” election integrity tour. A key component of their campaign: promoting the importance of early voting.
“President Trump’s message is very clear. It’s great if you want to vote early,” Whatley said during a tour stop in Tampa, Fla., this summer. “If you want to vote by mail, great,” he said.
That same day, Trump gave a contradictory response to a question about early voting in an interview: “Anytime you have mail-in voting, there’s going to be fraud, and some people don’t like me saying that, but I’m saying it. Trump said during an interview with Fox News.
In fact, state election officials have noted that voter fraud is rare, and states with mail-in voting have numerous safeguards in place to prevent abuse of mail-in ballots.
Trump not always cancel early and mail-in voting under these terms. She voted in her home state of Florida earlier this month and posted a TikTok video encouraging people to vote early. He also occasionally makes an elaborate note encouraging early voting without questioning the practice directly.
“This election cycle, President Trump, the RNC and our campaign have been clear to voters: Vote early,” Trump’s national press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said in a statement.
Still, the incoherence of Trump’s early voting message left many of his supporters cynical and confused about the topic.
“I don’t think there should be early voting,” Trump supporter Bob Breneman of Pennsylvania said in an interview. “I believe there should be a photo vote and a photo vote to be honest with you. Because it will eliminate many ongoing scams,” he said.
“I think same-day voting is a good idea because it keeps it more honest,” said Susan Anderson of Nevada, another Trump supporter.
Then, when asked how he would vote, Anderson replied, “We would do anything, and it’s usually early voting.”
The RNC’s “Save the Vote” tour hit key battleground states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia this summer, reinforcing early voting as an effective option for an often Republican audience.
At one event, Whatley said, “We’ve made an effort to reach out — call it an early voting program across the country.”
Despite the RNC’s efforts, dozens of Trump supporters in key battleground states that NBC spoke to still echo the hesitation of party leaders.
“I think on voting day, there should be paper ballots, that’s what I think,” said Trump supporter Troy Mattson. “That’s the only way to do it. We have to go back to it.”
Early voting is a method of voting that advocates say can increase the likelihood of voter turnout. In the United States, all 50 states and Washington, DC allow early voting by mail or in person, and 35 states plus DC allow early voting without requiring an excuse.
But Trump has polarized an issue that was once more supportive across the political spectrum and has long been practiced in Republican-leaning states.
This year, only 37% of Republicans say people should have the right to vote early, without giving a specific reason. Survey from the Pew Research Center. That contrasts sharply with Democrats’ 82% support. According to Pew, while Democrats’ numbers haven’t fallen in six years, Republican support has dropped nearly 20 points over that period.
In 2020, Biden voters were nearly twice as likely to vote by mail as Trump supporters, even though Covid-19 had a major impact on the way many voted. According to Pew research.