LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued a statement Friday, reminding voters that it is illegal to cast multiple ballots in an election.
In the state of Michigan, voter fraud is typically prosecuted as a felony.
The state officials chimed in with this statement after President Donald Trump suggested that voters who submit ballots by mail should show up to their polling location to make sure their ballot was tabulated.
“So, send it in early, and then go and vote. And if it's not tabulated, you vote and the vote is going to count. You can't let them take your vote away," the president said in North Carolina on Wednesday.
Trump tweeted something similar on Thursday; two of the tweets were given a label by Twitter saying the content "violated the Twitter Rules about civic and election integrity." However, the tweets can still be seen.
In many states, absentee ballots cannot be counted until the polls close. So, some people interpreted this as the president encouraging people to vote twice. While that claim isn't quite accurate, the comments from Trump have concerned election officials who say it could lead to a flood of people going to the polls to check the status of their ballot.
Voters who send their ballots in by mail can check the status of it online. However, in Michigan, it won't be counted until after 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Nessel and Benson still issued statements in response to the suggestions by the president.
“Some of you may have heard that President Trump suggested voters test our election system by voting twice – both absentee and then again in person,” Nessel said in a video. “But let me make this perfectly clear: voting twice is illegal, no matter who tells you to do it. The president’s idea is a great idea only for people who are looking to go to jail.”
Benson noted the state prevents people from casting ballots in person and by mail. "We have protections in place to ensure election officials track and verify every ballot they send and receive and in every instance we ensure that each person gets only one vote," her statement read.
Anyone who votes twice could also be prosecuted under federal law.
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