Trump’s voter fraud claim ‘unsubstantiated,’ says expert

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Just because U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to go to the Supreme Court over the presidential election, that doesn’t mean it’s possible or within the rules.

Experts in American politics say there’s no basis for that option.

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Even the suggestion from Trump that he could simply put a freeze on the counting of ballots isn’t a power the American leader actually has, says Renan Levine, who teaches U.S. politics at the University of Toronto.

“It’s simply a matter of getting those votes in. Some states, because of mail delays, they’re allowed to count votes as long as it’s been postmarked by even the day before election day, or on election day — they’re allowed to count those votes,” he explains.

Levine believes the checks and balances in place in the American system will protect the integrity of the vote, suggesting mass voter fraud is unlikely.

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Still, he says some of Trump’s comments could leave long-lasting damage.

“The fraud is really an unsubstantiated claim, but it’s one that has huge implications for the future of American democracy,” Levine tells NEWS 1130. “Because, if anxiety over the election outcome can now ebb away the new anxiety, what do we do? For over 200 years, the loser or the presumed loser, as the final votes were being counted, would make a gracious speech and say, ‘I congratulate the winner, and I wish them luck.’ Alright, we might have someone who’s sulking that they wanted to win, but America has never had a losing candidate go, ‘This is a fraud.'”

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Neither Trump nor Democratic candidate Joe Biden got the 270 electoral college votes needed to secure the presidency on election night, and the race was too close between both candidates.

While votes are still being counted and the final result could take some time, if Trump fails to acknowledge defeat in the event of Biden winning, Levine believes it could set a dangerous precedent.

“That happens in a lot of struggling democracies around the world, and I, as an American, as a political scientist, I’m gobsmacked to see that play out last night combined with the votes that we’re seeing being counted today.”