President Trump tried to register to vote in the state of Florida while claiming legal residence in Washington.
Trump listed 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, the address for the White House, on a voter registration application dated Sept. 27, 2019, the same day he changed his permanent residence to South Florida, state election records show.
The documents, obtained by the Washington Post, show Trump resubmitted the application with his Florida address in order to vote by mail in the state’s Republican primary. Florida law requires voters to be legal residents of the state.
In recent weeks, Trump has questioned the reliability of voting by mail, speculating that it may enable voter fraud despite voting in such a manner. In Florida, voter registration applicants are warned that providing untruthful information on applications could lead to criminal fees and prison time.
In December 2018, Deltona, Florida, City Manager Jane Shang resigned and agreed to pay over $5,000 in fees for the state to investigate her voter registration case to avoid criminal charges. Shang did not register to vote with her home address, instead registering with the address of Deltona’s City Hall and casting ballots accordingly.
It is unclear what occurred during the 31-day gap between Trump’s first and second voter registration applications. The Washington Post reported that it is possible that Florida election officials flagged the discrepancy and requested a change to the president’s application.
Several presidents have voted outside Washington, including President Barack Obama, who voted in Chicago, Illinois, during the 2016 election, and President George W. Bush, who voted by mail in his home state of Texas during the 2008 election.
Trump has frequently visited the Mar-a-Lago resort, located at 1100 South Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach, during his presidency. The president, who calls the luxury resort his “winter White House,” has stayed there for over 100 days and has visited it over two dozen times, according to the Washington Post.
