Donald Trump opposes mail-in voting because people will “gather ballots and vote them all.” Bill Barr, our attorney general, says, “Foreign governments will flood us with thousands of fake ballots.”

These two guys have voted by mail themselves. But Trump is planting doubt in our election in case he doesn’t like the outcome.

Let’s look at some facts.

Five U.S. states are mail-in ballot states, Oregon since 2000. They report no significant problems with their systems. Many states are making it easier to vote by mail. Michiganders overwhelmingly voted in 2018 to join that movement.

To understand how difficult it is to “cheat” at voting, remember that all votes come back to your local clerk. It comes back to the office that year by year has asked you to sign your name to vote. They have matched your signature each time.

This person would notice an influx of new, unregistered voters, or new signatures that did not match the old ones.

Then consider this from NPR.

Many clerks use bar codes and numbered ballots. When a ballot comes back, its bar code or number MUST match the ballot they sent you. Again, that signature on the outside of your ballot envelope will be matched to your signature on file.

Making fake ballots is nearly impossible, as ballots are deliberately unique each election, and unique from other area’s ballots. How would another country “flood us” with fakes?

Right after his election in 2016, Trump formed a commission to study voter fraud. It was disbanded because “states had no fraud to report.”

So why has our president and one of his advisers lied to us about mail-in voter fraud?

Then, if he loses, Trump can declare the election was rigged. Is he planting the seeds of doubt, hoping he can remain in office?

CAROL MEDLAND,

Alcona Township