Former President Trump, who has been a vocal advocate of same-day voting for his reelection, voted in Florida’s primary on Wednesday as part of the early voting period, and has questioned the reliability of early voting.
Trump gave a brief speech to cameras as he cast his ballot in Palm Beach.
“We have a level of passion that nobody has ever seen before. They want to make America great again. That’s what’s happening. We’re going to make America great again. Right now, we’re in a state of decline,” he said.
Florida’s state and federal primary elections will be held on August 20. Early voting will be held from August 10 to August 17.
The state is set to vote in November on a measure that would prohibit restricting or banning abortions until the fetus is viable. Trump has not said how he plans to vote on the measure.
Trump has repeatedly questioned the reliability of mail-in and early voting since losing the 2020 election to President Biden. Trump has falsely claimed the election was fraudulent and rigged against him, despite numerous recounts and audits that confirmed the results.
“I will make our elections secure. Our goal is to have one-day voting using paper ballots, proof of citizenship and voter ID,” he said at a recent campaign rally in Atlanta. He often repeats this message at such events.
Democrats traditionally vote more by mail and early voting, while Republican voters tend to vote more on Election Day.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) and Republican officials have been trying for years to get voters to vote early through “vote bank” programs and other outreach efforts.
At last month’s Republican National Convention, a video message from President Trump urging his supporters to vote the way they wanted was played throughout the stadium each day.
“Whether you vote early, absentee, by mail or in person, we will protect the vote. That is the most important thing we can do,” he said in a recorded message.
