By Alexander Lee

President Donald Trump holds articles as he speaks during a news conference at the White House in Washington, Thursday. 

In the midst of public health and economic crises, President Donald Trump suggested the possibility of delaying the November 3 presidential election, citing unsubstantiated allegations that increased mail-in voting due to the COVID-19 pandemic would lead to fraud. The proposal was met with opposition from both Democrats and Republicans.

The date of the presidential election is set by federal law, and changing it would require an act from Congress. Furthermore, the Constitution does not provide for a delay in the end of a president's term.

Trump's comments followed a report that the U.S. economy had contracted by 32.9% in the second quarter of 2020, the worst quarterly plunge on record, due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Trump trails in the polls nationally and in key battleground states.

Despite Trump's claims, there is no evidence that mail-in voting leads to widespread voter fraud. Five states conduct elections entirely by mail, and additional states are expected to rely more heavily on mail-in ballots due to the pandemic. While results may be delayed, election security experts assert that voter fraud is rare in all forms of balloting.

At least six states have confirmed they will send mail ballot request forms to voters, while California and Vermont will mail ballots to all active registered voters. In approximately three dozen states and the District of Columbia, officials may not send request forms or ballots to all voters for November.

Former President Barack Obama implicitly addressed Trump's policies on voting during the funeral of Rep. John Lewis, saying that there are those in power who are attempting to discourage people from voting. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, condemned Trump's suggestion of a delay as an attempt to sow division and chaos.

Public health officials and voters have expressed concerns about the potential risks of spreading the virus during in-person voting. States have also reported difficulty in filling poll worker positions due to the pandemic.

Democrats have called for billions of dollars in funding for election security and accessibility improvements in the next coronavirus relief bill, a proposal that has so far been resisted by Trump and Republicans. In response to Trump's tweet suggesting a delay, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted a quote from the Constitution that assigns Congress the power to set the timing of elections.

Reporter Alexander Lee alexanderlee_24@newsyn.co.kr