Trump suggests people in North Carolina should vote twice to test the state's mail-in ballot system, but voting more than once in an election is illegal

Trump Oklahoma.JPG — U.S. President Donald Trump points at the crowd as he enters his first re-election campaign rally in several months in the midst of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., June 20, 2020
REUTERS/Leah Millis

President Donald Trump suggested people in North Carolina should vote twice, in-person and by mail, in the upcoming November general election, NBC News reported on Wednesday.
It's illegal to vote more than once in an election.
Trump has sought to cast doubt on the US voting system, often repeating the false claim that mail-in voting opens the door to fraud.
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President Donald Trump told supporters in North Carolina to vote twice, in-person and by mail, in the upcoming general election, NBC News reported on Wednesday.

It's the latest example of Trump sowing confusion and doubt ahead of the November 3 election. In recent months, the president has repeatedly made false claims about mail-in-voting, alleging that it encourages voter fraud.

Voting in a US election more than once is illegal.

In response to a reporter's question about mail-in balloting in North Carolina, Trump said of voters: "So let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their system's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote. If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote."

"If it's as good as they say it is then obviously they won't be able to vote," Trump said. "If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote. So that's the way it is. And that's what they should do," he said.

The Brennan Center reported that despite increasing participation in mail-balloting, voter fraud is extremely rare in the US, and remains "infinitesimally small."

He also said in an interview with Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo last month he would block additional funding and election assistance for the US Postal Service to sabotage mail-in voting efforts. Trump has repeatedly rejected emergency funds or grants to the USPS, even as the agency has struggled financially for years.

At the end of July, the postal service sent letters to 46 states and Washington, DC, raising alarms that ballots may not be delivered in time to meet election deadlines due to limited resources, which could disenfranchise voters.

The White House did not reply to Business Insider's request for comment before publication.

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