In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s destruction in North Carolina, an unexpected shift has emerged within the Trump campaign. Despite its previous stance against mail-in voting and expanded voter access, the campaign is now pushing for more flexible voting procedures in North Carolina. This includes advocating for less strict mail-in voting policies — a stance that stands in stark contrast to the conspiracy theories former President Donald Trump propagated about the 2020 election.
The irony is striking. Just four years ago, in 2020, Trump and his allies vociferously opposed efforts to expand mail-in voting as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. These expansions were implemented to allow people to vote without risking their health. Across the country, states and counties adapted to the pandemic by making mail-in and absentee voting more accessible. The result? Voters had more ways to cast their ballots safely, avoiding potential exposure to the virus.
Fast forward to 2024, and while the disaster at hand is different — this time, it's the fallout from natural disasters like hurricanes — the underlying issue remains the same: the need to ensure voters have safe, accessible ways to cast their ballots. Hurricane Helene swept through the southeastern U.S., causing massive destruction, particularly in North Carolina. Flooding devastated the mountainous western parts of the state, cutting off communities from essential services and leaving them in dire straits.
In response to this crisis, the Trump campaign submitted a formal request to North Carolina’s legislature and Governor Roy Cooper. The letter, dated October 8, and signed by Trump campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, called for sweeping changes to the state's voting procedures. These changes were aimed at increasing access for voters affected by the disaster, making it easier for them to vote amid the chaos left behind by the hurricane. Some of the key requests included allowing voters to cast their ballots from any location within their county, permitting displaced individuals to submit absentee ballots in their new county, and extending the hours of voting centers. They even pushed for relaxed residency requirements for poll workers.
Now, here’s where the irony truly hits: these are the same kinds of changes the Trump campaign fought against in 2020. Back then, they didn’t just oppose such measures; they used them as the foundation for baseless conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud. It’s hard to ignore the disparity between Trump’s actions now versus the stance his campaign took four years ago.
Voting rights experts have noticed this stark change in position. Sean Morales-Doyle, who heads the Voting Rights Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, commented on the hypocrisy in an interview. He pointed out that while both the 2020 pandemic and the 2024 hurricane caused disruptions that required expanded access to mail-in voting and other ballot options, the Trump campaign reacted very differently to each crisis.
In 2020, Trump’s campaign went all out to discredit the election process, suggesting that expanded voting measures during the pandemic would lead to unprecedented fraud. The former President infamously claimed, “This is going to be a fraud like you’ve never seen,” just before the election. He later used the changes in voting procedures as fuel for his baseless claims that the election had been stolen from him. Trump and his supporters filed dozens of lawsuits challenging the expanded voting access, claiming the rules were implemented illegally in some states. They even promoted outlandish conspiracy theories, blaming everything from dead Venezuelan leaders to Italian satellites for Trump’s loss.
So, why the sudden change in 2024? Why is the Trump campaign now pushing for greater voter access in North Carolina, a key swing state hit hard by Hurricane Helene? The answer seems to lie in political opportunism. Just as Trump’s opposition to mail-in voting in 2020 was largely driven by expectations that Democrats would benefit more from expanded voting access, his campaign’s current push for flexibility in North Carolina likely stems from a desire to secure votes in a state where Republicans need a strong turnout.
Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina, highlighted the contradictions in the Trump campaign’s current stance. He pointed out that, prior to the hurricane, Trump’s allies were actively working to make voting harder. Yet, in the aftermath of the storm, the campaign quietly shifted gears, advocating for the same flexible voting laws they once opposed.
“There does seem to be a conflict,” Phillips remarked. “In one instance, it seems like they’re making voting harder — that seems to be the theme for Trump and his allies — but now, behind the scenes, they’re pushing for more flexibility and looser election laws.”
In response to the disaster, North Carolina lawmakers have taken some steps to ease voting procedures. Voters will have more time to request absentee ballots and more options for submitting them. Some of the Trump campaign’s requests were granted, such as loosening requirements for where people can vote and who can serve as poll workers.
While voting experts acknowledge that expanding voter access in disaster situations is a good thing, they’re quick to point out that this doesn’t signal a genuine shift in the Trump campaign’s broader position on voting rights. Sean Morales-Doyle warned that the Trump team continues to spread disinformation and conspiracy theories about voting in other parts of the country, even as they push for more lenient rules in disaster-stricken areas like North Carolina.
The pattern is hard to miss. Just as Trump’s opposition to mail-in voting in 2020 was motivated by political gain, his campaign’s current push for expanded voting access in North Carolina seems to be similarly opportunistic. The swing state status of North Carolina, combined with the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, has created a unique situation where Trump’s team is willing to adopt the very measures they once fought against.
Yet, the contradictions are glaring. One moment, Trump is railing against expanded voting access, claiming it opens the door to fraud. The next moment, he’s quietly pushing for more flexible voting laws in a state where Republicans need a boost. It raises serious questions about whether Trump and his allies are genuinely concerned with protecting voter rights or merely playing politics with the democratic process.
At the end of the day, the situation in North Carolina highlights the complexity of balancing voter access with election security, especially in times of crisis. While the Trump campaign’s requests for more accessible voting options in the wake of Hurricane Helene might benefit voters in the short term, it’s hard to ignore the underlying hypocrisy. Voter access shouldn’t be a political tool, wielded one way in 2020 and the opposite way in 2024. But, as this situation demonstrates, that’s often how the game is played in modern American politics.
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