Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) says the election will be rigged this year, even in the state that has elected him twice.
During his weekly dial-in to conservative radio station WVOM, LePage said he agreed with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump that there will be election fraud in November.
“I am not confident that we are going to have a clean election in Maine,” he said, blaming Maine Democrats for blocking voter ID requirements.
Republicans have increasingly supported requiring voters to show identification at the polls in recent years. Some studies have indicated that voter ID requirements suppress voting by minorities, who are more likely to vote Democratic.
“Will people from the cemetery be voting? Yes, all around the country,” LePage added. “The media and the Democratic Party want everybody to vote, whether they’re citizens or not.”
Trump’s and LePage’s expectations of widespread voter fraud are deeply dubious. They have been refuted by fact-checkers and repudiated by other Republican officials. But Trump has complained more and more forcefully that November’s election will be rigged as more and more polls show him falling behind Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, a Democrat, questioned LePage’s claim in an email to the Bangor Daily News on Tuesday.
“Maine has a proud history of full access for voters to participate in our elections,” Dunlap wrote. “It’s curious that the governor would question the integrity of a system under which he was elected twice.”
Despite efforts by state Republicans, Maine has not joined the 32 other states that have some form of ID requirement at the polls. LePage said the election will be no good without voter ID.
“Until we do that, I don’t think the elections in the state of Maine or the United States are legitimate,” he said.
HUFFPOST READERS: What’s happening in your state or district? The Huffington Post wants to know about all the campaign ads, mailers, robocalls, candidate appearances and other interesting campaign news happening by you. Email any tips, videos, audio files or photos to scoops@huffingtonpost.com.