St. Clair Today

Republican U.S. Representative Paul Mitchell, of Michigan’s 10th District, checked into The Frank Beckmann Show, sharing his thoughts on President Donald Trump’s recent attempt to delay November’s general election. 

“The president can’t decide to delay the election. That requires Congress... and the election will be held Nov. 3. I don’t know exactly what motivated that, but it’s not something any individual can decide… This is the United States of America. We know how to hold elections, and we’ll hold one,” Mitchell, who isn't seeking reelection this year, told Beckmann. 

He added that states should have procedures in place to keep the integrity of voting amid the spike of absentee and mail-in ballots, thanks to COVID-19.

Representative Paul Mitchell | ICS Pipeline Library (Resized)

“The reality is, we can’t participate in undermining our own elections. We can’t do that. That’s the worst thing we can do is have people not trust that elections matter,” Mitchell said during the interview. 

He said that mail-in voting is just one of the many adjustments needed as the future of COVID-19 remains unclear. 

“We need to learn to adjust as Americans to COVID-19. It’s not going away magically. We need to move on with our lives, protect ourselves and specifically older people in nursing homes, and adjust. We also have to adjust to mail-in voting; absentee voting is something that people should have the right to do, rather than stand in long lines to vote, and we just have to adjust and not do anything from a place of fear,” Mitchell told Beckmann.

As for the financial state of Americans as they navigate through COVID-19, Mitchell said it’s likely that unemployment benefits will be extended, but it’s not clear if people would still receive $600 a week. 

There are also plans to help establish and assist with a strategy to reopen K-12 schools as the fall draws closer.