Pelosi to Push Vote-by-Mail Funding for States in Next Stimulus

(Bloomberg) -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the nation must move to a vote-by-mail system amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis and that she plans to advocate funding for that in the next stimulus measure.

“In terms of the elections, I think that we will probably be moving to vote by mail,” Pelosi told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program Tuesday. She called it “a reality of life” amid the outbreak.

“The integrity of our election system is central to our democracy,” she said.

President Donald Trump criticized efforts by Democrats to expand voter access to November’s presidential election on Monday in an interview with Fox News. Democrats had pushed for such measures in the $2.2 trillion rescue package Trump signed last week, but most were removed.

“They had things -- levels of voting that, if you ever agreed to it, you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again,” Trump said in the interview.

Pelosi did not discuss precise amounts or other details. But when pressed about opposition from Trump and Republicans, she questioned “how anyone could oppose our enabling the states to have vote by mail.”

“I feel sad that the president doesn’t have confidence that his party cannot convince the American people about a path to go forward. But that’s what elections are about -- what’s your vision for the future?” she said.

“So lets be hopeful and have public opinion weigh in on that,” she said.

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