Tuesday 29 November 2016

US election void as Trump voted for himself

New York (dpo) - In the end, it did not come down to a miscount but a technicality. Today, the US Election Administration declared the presidential election result void due to Donald Trump clearly having voted for himself in blatant contravention of US law. The election must now be rerun within 30 days.

The legislation in question is the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution and dates from 1903. This amendment prohibits candidates from voting for themselves in presidential elections so as not to distort the outcome. The consequence of breaking this rule is a void result and a fresh election being called.
Annoyingly for the victor, Mr Trump, it appears his careless boasting was likely one of the reasons for the retrospective inspection of his vote. He said in a radio interview, “I’m the best candidate in the history of this country. Why would I have voted for anybody else?”
This comment gave the Election Administration special cause to inspect Mr Trump’s ballot, which he had cast on polling day. This showed that the billionaire had indeed clearly selected “Donald J. Trump” on his ballot:
Graphological analysis comparing where the voter left the oval with Donald Trump’s handwriting proved this to be the billionaire’s ballot.
A further intriguing detail emerged in the process: Melania Trump’s ballot was directly beneath that of her husband. She had clearly voted for Hillary Clinton, although she was legally permitted to vote for Donald Trump.
Mr Trump has had several opportunities to avoid the result being voided. Election specialist, Geoff Goltz, explained, “Presidential candidates are able to abstain, spoil their ballots or vote for an opponent or third-party candidate. Trump could easily have taken one of these routes without losing the election – especially considering he lost his home state of New York anyway.”
That is what Hillary Clinton chose to do. Her ballot was also examined as part of the investigation, revealing that she, like many candidates before her, had spoiled her ballot with a handwritten comment to avoid voting for her opponent:
Hillary Clinton’s campaign team appeared elated today as they work towards the revote planned for 27 December. Campaign manager Joe Podesta reported that the team will be using the coming weeks to regroup and win back “the trust of the stupid working classes”.
Yet, Donald Trump, too, seems to be welcoming the revote. He has already switched back into full-on campaign mode, an attitude which seems to suit him better than presidential restraint. “Now I can finally beat crooked Hillary in the popular vote, as well!” declared Mr. Trump in a TV interview with NBC News while showing off his new campaign slogan: “Make America Great Again Again!” He continued, “Any other outcome would be fixed!” He can hardly wait to vote for “Donald Trump” and “drain the swamp” in Washington D.C.
fed, ssi, dan; Picture of Trump: picture alliance / AP Photo
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