WASHINGTON — Mail-in ballots played a significant role in the outcome of the election and Joe Biden’s projected win.
However, President Donald Trump is calling the validity of millions of absentee ballots into question and challenging the results in court.
In previous years, mail-in ballots come in at more of a split between political parties.
In 2020, the absentee ballots favored Biden considerably. Research from a D.C.-based firm shows the majority of democratic mail-in ballots are largely due to President Trump’s own rhetoric.
“In many ways, this was a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Terrance Woodbury, partner with HIT Strategies, said.
Woodbury said it is not surprising that President Trump is challenging the integrity of mail-in ballots in court.
The president has expressed his distrust in the process for months before the election.
“He encouraged his supporters not to vote by mail, and they didn’t,” Woodbury explained.
In October, HIT Strategies released research among what it calls the emerging electorate which includes women, minorities, and millennials. It found that people were looking for alternatives to in-person voting largely because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Seventy percent of voters of color were either planning to vote by mail or vote early. That is exactly how we have seen the ballots play out,” Woodbury told WUSA9.
Among the 70% of voters of color HIT Strategies surveyed, many of them expressed distrust in the system despite their dedication to alternative voting methods.
“Even amongst Trump supporters, they are looking for a more independent referee. The one that is emerging more than the courts, more than Joe Biden’s campaign, or Donald Trump’s campaign are local election officials,” Woodbury said.
Those election officials include local clerks, secretaries of state, and election boards.
Woodbury said election leaders are being looked to as the most trusted source to count votes and settle any disputes about the results.