Trump in NC: Try voting twice

During his stop in Wilmington on Wednesday, President Donald Trump suggested that North Carolina voters should vote twice – once by mail and once in person – in order to test the mail-in system.

“They will vote, and then they are going to have to check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way, because if it tabulates, then they won’t be able to do that," Trump said. "So, let them send it in, and let them go vote, and if the system is as good as they say it is, then they obviously won’t be able to vote [at the polls]. If it isn’t tabulated, they will be able to vote.”

The president has frequently taken aim at mail-in voting, and his campaign has sued states that moved to expand access to mail-in voting in response to the pandemic.

"It is illegal to vote twice in an election," state elections director Karen Brinson Bell said in a statement Thursday. ""Attempting to vote twice in an election or soliciting someone to do so also is a violation of North Carolina law."

Brinson Bell noted "numerous checks" that in place in the state that prevent people from voting twice.

Electronic poll books with information about who has already voted are used at every early voting site, she said, and absentee ballots that are received on Election Day aren't counted until after the election to prevent double voting. The board also conducts audits after each election that check voter history against ballots cast and would detect if someone tried to vote more than once, she said.

"If we’ve already received the ballot from the voter and it’s – we’ve essentially cast that ballot, then no, they will be marked in our poll books as having voted, and they will not be able to vote again," Brinson Bell said during a Thursday afternoon news conference. "If they think there’s some discrepancy in that, then they will be offered a provisional ballot."

The State Board of Elections said voters who vote by mail can check to see if their ballot has been counted without ever leaving their home by logging onto the board's website. They also could hand deliver their ballots to the county board of elections office or any early voting location.

Elections board spokesman Patrick Gannon discouraged people who voted absentee from showing up at the polls on Election Day.

"We are a little bit concerned that, if a lot of people start showing up at the polls, the lines will be longer, and there will be a greater possibility for spreading coronavirus," Gannon said.

Trump tried to explain his position in a series of tweets Thursday, but Twitter deleted some of them, saying they violated the site's rules on election integrity.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein called Trump's comments "deeply troubling" and noted that the president has made "many attempts to undermine people’s faith in the integrity of our elections."

"North Carolina’s election system is strong. It ensures that every eligible voter can vote easily, safely, securely – and only once – whether they choose to do so by mail or in person during our 17 days of early voting or on Election Day," Stein said in a statement. "Whichever method you choose to cast your ballot in our upcoming elections, please know that your vote will count and your voice will be heard."

Stein is among several state attorneys general suing the U.S. Postal Service, seeking to undo recent changes that have slowed mail delivery, to ensure that absentee ballots are delivered in a timely manner so the votes can be counted.

County election boards across North Carolina start sending absentee ballots to voters on Friday.

Through Sept. 1, nearly 619,000 ballot requests had been received, compared with approximately 36,500 through the same period in 2016, according to the State Board of Elections.

More than half of the absentee ballots, or approximately 313,000 have been requested by Democrats. Republicans have requested more than 93,000 and registered unaffiliated voters account for approximately 183,000 ballot requests.

Trump won North Carolina by 3.6 percentage points in 2016, but polls are showing an extremely close race taking shape in a state that generates 15 electoral votes for its winner.

Wilmington honored for WWII role

The main purpose of Trump's visit on Wednesday was to make a personal appearance in a key battleground state on V-J Day to declare the port city of Wilmington a "World War II Heritage City.”

Congress passed a bill this year that included a provision requiring the secretary of the interior to annually designate one city in the United States as an “American World War II Heritage City.”

Wilmington is the first city to get that designation, and Trump didn't miss the chance to celebrate in person, although White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany insisted this week that “there’s not a political purpose in this visit.”

But when he landed in Wilmington, Trump told a few hundred supporters that his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, is “stone cold crazy.”

“We're making strides, you know, the stock market's hitting another high,” Trump said, adding that the U.S. economy is coming back “very strongly” from the coronavirus pandemic.

Then, with the Battleship North Carolina behind him, Trump also took a swipe at protesters in Portland, Ore., and the removal of monuments nationwide.

"In America, we don't tear down the past. We celebrate our heroes, we cherish our heritage, we preserve our history, and we build the future," he said. "We're not ashamed of our country. We're proud of our country."

"American warriors did not defeat fascism and oppression overseas only to watch our freedoms be trampled by violent mobs here at home," he said. "For the sake of all Americans, we must uphold the rule of law and defend the American dream for every child in our land."

Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis echoed that sentiment.

"They laid down and died to allow us to have a democratic process," Tillis said of veterans, "and we have people who are trying to tear that down.”

Trump's speech was kept brief, as thunderstorms moved into the area.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, released a statement in advance of the trip saying that Trump has not provided North Carolina with the roadmap and resources needed to protect businesses, schools and families from the coronavirus.

“Instead of honoring the sacrifice of our frontline heroes, President Trump has repeatedly ignored public health guidance for political purposes," Biden said.

Wilmington has been home to the Battleship North Carolina since 1962. The ship was active in the Pacific theater during World War II, earning 15 battle stars, and is now a floating museum. Hershel “Woody” Williams, a Marine who is the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient to have fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific, traveled with the president to Wilmington.

North Carolina was where more than 2 million people trained to fight and serve in World War II – more than any other state – and more than 360,000 North Carolinians served during the war.

The city also was home to the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, which constructed vessels in support of the war effort. The trip also comes on the day the U.S. commemorates victory over Japan.

Mike Allen, who retired from the Army and is now mayor of Belville in nearby Brunswick County, said his father and three of his uncles fought in World War II. He said he still gets choked up at the sacrifices his family has made.

"I get flashbacks of my dad," Allen said.

Trump's praise for World War II veterans "means a lot to us," Allen said.