PASCO COUNTY, Fla. -- While President Donald Trump questioned mail-in voting multiple times this week, calling it a "terrible thing" and saying theres "a lot of dishonesty involved," Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley's office reiterated support for the method.

"Due to the uncertainty of how the pandemic will affect the remainder of the election year, and in the interest of public safety, the elections office has been promoting voting by mail for several weeks. Voting by mail is easy, convenient, and can be done in the safety of your home," the office said in an e-mail about the county's upcoming municipal elections being postponed by executive order from the Governor.

"If you're a senior citizen and if you're somebody that needs it, I'm all for it, but they have to be very careful," the President said during a press briefing. 

Trump told reporters "bundling" is one problem with the method.

"I'm not going to say which party does it, but thousands of votes are gathered and they come in and they're dumped in a location, and then, all of a sudden, you lose elections that you think you're going to win," he said.

The President reiterated his point in tweets posted Wednesday:

 

 

"I honestly don't know what the President's referring to. If he's got some evidence, I'd like to see it, for one," said Corley about the President's claims.

Corley said vote-by-mail has been on the rise in Florida for the past decade and about a third of votes in the state are cast by mail. His own office saw a record number of requests for mail-in ballots during the 2018 midterm election. 

"It's convenience. As more voters become comfortable with it, I think they tell their friends and their neighbors and their family that they realize that it's safe, it's secure," Corley said. 

And it could play a significant role in the upcoming general election.

"I think right now that it could play a very big role," said Kevin O'Farrell, a former political science professor and provost of Pasco-Hernando State College's Porter Campus. "We don't know where we're going to be here in Florida in August. We don't know where we're going to be in November. I think a lot of people are going to be taking advantage of that option."

Corley said there are a number of strict controls when it comes to vote-by-mail. Ballots are only sent to those who request them and notifications are sent out via text and e-mail to voters that their ballot was received. They're opened at a public meeting by bipartisan teams. According to Corley, he and his staff are trained in forensic handwriting analysis. If there's a problem with a ballot's signature, the voter has the chance to cure the issue. 

"I'd encourage the President, quite frankly anyone, to come watch the process for themselves," he said.

Both Corley and O'Farrell said the statistical data isn't there to show widespread fraud with mail-in voting. 

"It does give an opportunity for people who are under represented, usually your poor individuals, an opportunity to participate in the political process. Those individuals typically tend to vote, perhaps, for more Democratic candidates, but there's nothing that actually ties, any kind of research that I've seen, that somehow voting by mail benefits Democrats," O'Farrell said.

"My transparent agenda as the elections administrator is I want all eligible individuals registered to vote and 100% of those voters voting, and the outcome is between the candidates and the good Lord above," Corley said.

Pasco County voters can request their vote-by-mail ballot by calling 800-851-8754 or by visiting PascoVotes.gov.