总统唐纳德·特朗普显然相信比赛的轨迹自上次辩论以来，他一直在支持他，周二鼓励可能已经投了缺席票的选民考虑改变他们的投票。
“强烈倾向(谷歌)，因为紧接着第二场辩论是我可以改变我的投票吗?这是指把它换成我。大多数州的答案是肯定的。去吧。你一生中最重要的选举!”他周二早上发了推特。
周一在宾夕法尼亚州的竞选活动中，特朗普沉思着人们想改变他们的投票，但这似乎是他在这次选举中第一次真正鼓励人们这样做。
“你知道吗，你有没有听到谷歌上的头号问题是:‘我如何改变我的投票?’你知道吗?我如何改变我的投票?类似标签的东西——你听到了吗?标签:“我如何改变我的投票?”他们观看了辩论。我想要——记得我想要那场辩论继续进行下去，你知道，因为很多人通过这种疯狂的投票交易来投票。等到你看到那东西将要陷入的混乱，”他说。
周一，对这个话题的搜索兴趣激增——但特朗普声称这是因为上周四的辩论，这是误导性的，因为谷歌没有具体说明候选人在改变投票方面在搜索什么。
特朗普在2016年的最后几天也提出了同样的主张——关于早期选民改变他们的投票选举。
人们真的能改变他们的投票吗?至少在某些州，答案是肯定的，在某些条件下。
在密歇根州，州法律允许选民“破坏”他们的选票(本质上是要求选举官员宣布一张选票无效，这样选民就可以得到一张新的选票)。选民可以缺席投票，然后“破坏”他们的选票，重新投票。已经投票的选民可以在选举日之前的星期五下午5点之前通过邮件请求重新投票，或者可以在选举前的星期一上午10点之前亲自请求重新投票。根据州法律，在选举日，没有任何选项可以破坏已经进行的缺席投票。
在威斯康星州，根据威斯康星州选举委员会今年发布的一份备忘录，“缺席选民可以要求破坏他们的缺席投票，并在要求新的缺席投票的适当截止日期尚未过去的情况下，再进行一次投票。此外，选民可以要求在本人缺席期间或选举日当天在投票站亲自投票，但他们必须要求在适当的截止日期前破坏他们的选票。一旦过了最后期限，不得更改退回的缺席选票，也不得在选举日向投票人发放另一张选票。”
在明尼苏达州，选民可以改变他们的投票，但期限更紧，已经过去了。
“您可以要求取消您的投票，直到选举日之前两周的工作结束。此后，您不能取消您的投票。要取消您的投票，请联系发送您的选票的选举办公室。你的选择是邮寄新的选票;亲自到当地选举办公室投票;或者在选举日在你的投票站投票。
与上述允许选民在投票后改变主意的其他州不同，在宾夕法尼亚州，如果选民没有返回选票，只能在选举日要求邮寄选票后亲自到场投票。
“如果你已经提交了邮寄或缺席投票，你就不能在选举日在你的投票站投票，”该州的选举网站和投票工作人员手册上写道。“如果你没有交回邮寄或缺席选票，而你想亲自投票，你有两个选择:把你的选票和预先写好地址的外信封带到投票站作废。在你交出你的选票和信封并签署一份声明后，你就可以进行常规投票了。如果你不交出你的选票和信封，你只能在你的投票站以临时投票方式投票。”
在纽约，州选举委员会网站概述了改变主意的选民的程序。
“即使你要求或投出并返回缺席选票，你仍然可以亲自去投票站投票。选举法承认计划会改变。选举委员会被要求在拉票前检查投票薄。该网站称:“如果选民在选举日或提前投票期间亲自来到投票网站，缺席投票将被搁置一旁，不予计算。”。
在康涅狄格州，费尔菲尔德的一名当地城镇办事员向美国广播公司新闻证实，选民可以要求撤销投票，如果他们改变主意，可以获得新的选票。但这可能因镇而异。
在新罕布什尔州，这个过程稍微复杂一些。根据国务卿办公室的说法，选民可以要求进行第二轮投票，如果有足够的时间进行投票，第一轮投票将被作废。选民也可以在选举日亲自到他们的投票站，并被建议在缺席投票开始前投票开始的第一个小时前往投票站，以使他们的第一次投票无效。该办公室表示，如果他们的选票被标记为已投票，他们将无法投出新的选票。
在其他几个州，包括特拉华州、爱达荷州、伊利诺伊州、印第安纳州和新墨西哥州，可能会出现某种形式的破坏邮件投票的情况，但不是在选票被退回和处理之后——这与宾夕法尼亚州类似。其中一些州要求选民签署宣誓书。
Can you change your vote? Trump thinks people should
President Donald Trump, apparently believing the trajectory of the race has moved in his favor since the last debate, on Tuesday encouraged voters who may have already voted absentee to look into changing their votes.
"Strongly Trending (Google) since immediately after the second debate is CAN I CHANGE MY VOTE? This refers changing it to me. The answer in most states is YES. Go do it. Most important Election of your life!" he tweeted Tuesday morning.
On the campaign trail Monday in Pennsylvania, Trump mused about people wanting to change their vote, but this appears to be the first time this election he’s actually encouraged people to do so.
"You know, did you hear the number one thing on Google was: 'How do I change my vote?' Did you know that? How do I change my vote? Something like hashtag -- Did you hear that? Hashtag: 'How do I change my vote?' They watched the debate. I wanted -- remember I wanted that debate to move way up, you know, because a lot of people voted by this crazy ballot deal. Wait until you see the mess that thing is going to be in," he said.
There was a spike in search interest on this topic Monday -- but Trump's claim that it was because of last Thursday's debate is misleading because Google doesn't specify what candidate people are searching around in terms of changing their vote.
Trump made this same pitch -- about early voters switching their votes -- in the final days of the 2016 election.
Can people actually change their votes? In at least some states, the answer is yes, under certain conditions.
In Michigan, state law allows for voters to "spoil" their ballots (essentially asking election officials to invalidate a ballot so a voter can get a new one). "Voters can vote absentee and then "spoil" their ballot to re-vote. Spoil ballot requests by voters who have already voted may request a new ballot by mail until 5 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day or can request a new ballot in-person until 10 a.m. on the Monday prior to the election. There is no option on Election Day to spoil an absentee ballot that has already been cast," according to state law.
PHOTO: A man casts his ballot at the Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building on the first day of in-person early voting for the Nov. 3, 2020, elections in Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 20, 2020.
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In Wisconsin, according to a memo released by the Wisconsin Elections Commission for this year, "absentee voters can request to spoil their absentee ballot and have another ballot issued as long as the appropriate deadline to request the new absentee ballot has not passed. In addition, voters can request to have their returned absentee ballot spoiled and instead vote in person, either during the in-person absentee period or at their polling place on Election Day, but they must request their ballot be spoiled by the appropriate deadlines. Once that deadline has passed, a returned absentee ballot cannot be changed, and the voter cannot be issued another ballot on Election Day."
In Minnesota, voters are allowed to change their votes but on a tighter deadline, which has already passed.
"You can ask to cancel your ballot until the close of business two weeks before Election Day. After that time, you cannot cancel your ballot. To cancel your ballot, contact the election office that sent your ballot. Your options are to have a new ballot mailed; vote in person at your local election office; or vote at your polling place on Election Day," the secretary of state's website reads.
Unlike other states above which allow for voters to change their minds after casting a ballot, in Pennsylvania a voter can only show up in-person on Election Day to vote after requesting a mail-in ballot if the voter has not returned the ballot.
"If you already submitted a mail-in or absentee ballot, you cannot vote at your polling place on election day," the state's election website and a poll worker manual reads. "If you did not return your mail-in or absentee ballot and you want to vote in person, you have two options: Bring your ballot and the pre-addressed outer return envelope to your polling place to be voided. After you surrender your ballot and envelope and sign a declaration, you can then vote a regular ballot. If you don't surrender your ballot and return envelope, you can only vote by provisional ballot at your polling place."
In New York, the state elections board website outlines procedures for voters who have a change of heart.
"Even if you request or cast and return an absentee ballot, you may still go to the polls and vote in person. The Election Law recognizes that plans change. The Board of Elections is required to check the poll book before canvassing any absentee ballot. If the voter comes to the poll site, on Election Day or during early voting and votes in person, the absentee ballot is set aside and not counted," the website says.
In Connecticut, a local town clerk's office in Fairfield confirmed to ABC News that voters can request for their ballots to be rescinded and can be issued a new ballot if they change their mind. But this may vary by town.
In New Hampshire, the process is slightly more complicated. A voter can request a second ballot, and if there is enough time to do return it, the first ballot will be voided, according to the secretary of state's office. A voter can also show up in-person on Election Day at their polling place, and is recommended to go in the first hour that polls are open before the absentee ballot processing begins, in order to void their first ballot. If their ballot has been marked as voted, they won't be able to cast a new ballot, the office said.
And in a few other states, including Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, New Mexico, some form of spoiling a mail ballot may happen, but not after a ballot is returned and processed - which is similar to Pennsylvania. Some of these states require voters to sign an affidavit.
In at least two states, it appears that voters can request multiple ballots if they make a mistake, but before they in fact cast the ballot.
In Arkansas, voters may "spoil" up to two ballots and receive another (three ballots total), but the secretary of state's website adds, "once you drop your ballot in the ballot box, no changes can be made." Voters may also be asked to sign a Spoiled Ballot Affidavit. To have it spoiled, voters can also take an absentee ballot packet to the county clerk’s office and cast a ballot in-person. "If they do not have the packet, they would have to vote a provisional ballot until the County Board of Election Commissioners can ascertain if the other ballot came back," Chris Powell, press secretary for the Arkansas secretary of state, told ProPublica.
In Mississippi, the secretary of state's county elections handbook reads, "a voter who mistakenly marks a paper ballot is entitled to receive a total of three (3 ballots. If a ballot is spoiled, write “Spoiled” across the face of the ballot and place it in the spoiled ballot envelope."
