Dear Sir/Madam:

On at least three separate occasions last week (as reported by the NY Times, CNN, LA Times, Fox News, and others), President Trump encouraged his supporters to vote twice in the election on November 3. He did this on 9/2/2020 in North Carolina, on 9/3/2020 in Pennsylvania, and in a North Carolina tele-rally (later posted on Facebook) on 9/4/2020. Voting twice, intentionally, is illegal. It is a federal crime and, in at least 28 states including Texas, it is a felony.

Leadership is a powerful thing. Poor leadership can be damaging and even dangerous. Take for example the instance on April 23, 2020, when Trump expressed his notion that treatment with disinfectants could cure COVID-19. He stated, “And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning?” In May, an online survey conducted by the CDC of 502 adults discovered that 39% had inappropriately used disinfectants, and 25% of these reported “an adverse health effect that they believed was a result” of the products. In the United States we honor our right to freedom of speech, but we also have the responsibility to repudiate self-serving lies and the intentional distribution of misinformation to the detriment of our society.

The “vote twice” news appears to have gone out of the news cycle this week. Personally, I am not sure why, because in my recollection this is the only instance in U.S. history, in which a president publicly advised the citizens to commit a crime. Please make sure that your friends and family members know about this situation, and urge them to vote once only.

On a final note, the success of universal vote-by-mail has already been proven in 9 states (44 million voters). If more of us vote by mail and/or vote early, then we can help make election day less dangerous. Please vote, and vote one time per election.

Sincerely,
Name Withheld