Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is mulling over the idea of personally funding the reopening of polling locations that have closed across the United States.
He took to Twitter this week with a message with a short series of tweets to share his ideas. As a self-proclaimed voting fanatic, Schwarzenegger noted that most people view the closing of polls as a voter suppression tactic.
“I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I’m a fanatic about voting. Most people call closing polls voter suppression. Some say it is ‘budgetary.’ What if I made it easy [and] solved the budgetary issue? How much would it cost to reopen polling places?” Schwarzenegger tweeted Wednesday.
He added, “This is a serious question. Is closing polling stations about making it harder for minorities to vote, or is it because of budgets? If you say it’s because of your budget, let’s talk.”
This is a serious question. Is closing polling stations about making it harder for minorities to vote, or is it because of budgets? If you say it’s because of your budget, let’s talk.
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) September 2, 2020
Schwarzenegger’s tweet comes amid ongoing concerns about the possibility of obstacles voters may face as Election Day approaches.
From the ongoing controversy surrounding mail-in voting, President Donald Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud with no evidence, and concerns about foreign interference, there are quite a few problems that could impact the outcome of the election.
As a result of the growing concerns about the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) impact on the election, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced a statement confirming that he would halt all operational changes for USPS until after Election Day, as previously reported on IJR.
“The United States Postal Service will play a critical role this year in delivering election mail for millions of voters across the country,” the statement read. “There has been a lot of discussion recently about whether the Postal Service is ready, willing and able to meet this challenge.
DeJoy later added, “To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded.”
Election Day is set for November 3, 2020.