Trump campaign lawyer who swiped at voting by mail has done so three times: report

A Trump campaign lawyer who has been critical of mail-in voting has done so three times, CNN reported Tuesday, citing public records it had obtained.

The outlet reported that Jenna Ellis, who has said expanded mail-in voting creates “wide opportunity for fraud,“ voted by mail in Colorado in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Colorado is one of five states in the country that conducts all-mail elections. The Centennial State has been sending all registered voters mail-in ballots since 2013.

Ellis has sought to create a distinction between “absentee“ voting and “vote by mail,” saying that one is when an individual verified voter receives a mail ballot and the other is when a state sends “millions of UNREQUESTED, unmonitored ballots to UNVERIFIED individuals and addresses.”

Each state has different mail-in voting rules, many of which have changed to accommodate pandemic-related concerns. Some states have expanded mail-in voting by sending every registered voter a mail-in ballot and reducing polling locations. 

In a statement to CNN, Ellis stood by her criticism of mail-in voting, saying Trump is “absolutely right that mail-in voting is ripe for fraud.”

“I live in Colorado, and unfortunately my state is one of only five that are universal vote-by-mail states,” she told CNN. “Even though President Trump and I agree it is a flawed method of running an election — and I will continue to work to change it — I won’t let that discourage me from exercising my right to vote.”

Trump and other Republicans have been against the practice, claiming without evidence that voting by mail results in more fraud. Studies have found voter fraud is exceedingly rare, including in mail-in voting.

A Hill-HarrisX poll last month found that though many voters are concerned about the security of mail-in ballots, they’re more concerned about the health risks of voting in person. The poll found 55 percent of voters said being exposed to the virus was a bigger concern, compared to 45 percent who said having their vote tampered with through mail-in voting was a greater concern.