#Plenty of Democrats worry over mail-in voting disasters

Rather than blasting President Trump for voicing fears of election fraud, Democrats ought to be moving to secure the vote. Trump’s language may be (as usual) over the top, but the prospect of widespread screwups and, yes, corruption is real — and even some Democrats are worried.

At Tuesday’s debate, Trump railed against balloting already underway, calling it “fraud.” He’s also made specific allegations, sometimes without proof, such as that ballots are being “dumped in rivers.”

Such remarks, the obsessively anti-Trump New York Times charges, aim “to erode trust” and are “the most direct threat to the electoral process since 1788.” The Washington Post has accused Trump of “disinformation.”

Yet plenty of past elections were marred by fraud. The Post recently quoted a Democratic insider who admitted fixing mail-in ballots, on a large scale, for years. Just days ago, an online video showed what appeared to be “ballot-harvesting” in Minnesota.

And with many states expanding mail-in voting this year, the likelihood of critical glitches is high. Brooklyn alone has already seen more than 100,000 incorrect mail-in ballots sent out.

Which is why some Democrats are worried and advising New Yorkers to avoid mail-in voting altogether if they can. City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, a staunch progressive, says people already don’t “trust” officials to “count the ballot right.” Noting the “rampant incompetence,” city Comptroller Scott Stringer points to the “safe alternative: voting early and voting in person.” The head of the state Senate’s elections committee urges, “For the safety of your vote, better to vote in person.”

Thursday, state Senate Republicans offered legislation “to secure the integrity of the voting process.” The Democrats who run the state should go along.

Officials, here and in Congress, have a clear duty to cut down on the confusion and instill confidence. Ensure the process is simple, clear, well-vetted — and free of snafus like in Brooklyn. The stakes are too high to screw this up.