Initially printed by The nineteenth
Within the days following the 2024 presidential election, Barb Byrum of Michigan watched open skepticism pour in on-line about former President Donald Trump’s win over Vice President Kamala Harris.
Some questioned how there could possibly be decrease total voter turnout in comparison with 4 years in the past, particularly when there was document early voting in some states. Others questioned how enthusiasm for Harris — who packed marketing campaign rallies within the remaining weeks of the election — may translate into extra votes for Trump. And but others raised the likelihood that their votes hadn’t truly been recorded.
There is no such thing as a proof of widespread voter fraud, and officers who oversee the nation’s decentralized election system have praised how easily the method performed out this yr.
That hasn’t stopped suspicions from manifesting on a number of social media platforms. However Byrum — herself a Harris supporter and a former Democratic state consultant — does nonpartisan work because the chief elections official in Ingham County, which incorporates a part of the state capital of Lansing. Byrum was sporting that hat as she began debunking conspiracy theories, one thing she additionally did in 2020 when Trump challenged the election outcomes and a few of his supporters started spreading unfounded doubt.
“In the end, we must combat mis- and disinformation,” Byrum informed The nineteenth. “No matter who is saying it, it is imperative that we bring truth and shed light.”
Byrum has been addressing the incoming false narratives that she encounters on totally different social media accounts because the election. No, outcomes weren’t manipulated or despatched by way of the web, she defined. And sure, there are a number of methods for voters within the state to know whether or not their vote was counted or not, as Byrum offered in a step-by-step explainer that included screenshots of the standing web page.
“I don’t think it’s election denialism yet, but if it’s allowed to persist, it will go in that direction,” she stated of the narratives floating round. “Right now, people are grieving the loss of their candidate and they’re trying to understand.”
Byrum’s efforts present the lengths to which some election officers — a predominantly women-led workforce — are taking to revive belief in how elections are administered.
However whereas allegations of widespread voter fraud didn’t derail vote counting for the presidential race nor pose severe safety points like some consultants had fearful, Byrum’s debunking nonetheless alerts the bumpy street forward for individuals who will grapple with future claims — and there’s no speedy finish to the work.
“We’re at such a low point of trust in institutions and media,” stated Isabel Linzer, an elections and democracy fellow on the Heart for Democracy & Expertise (CDT), a analysis and coverage group that works to enhance know-how in areas like elections. “It’s not a surprise that we see election denialism continuing.”
Trump gained extra votes than Harris within the Electoral School, and he’s on observe to win the favored vote. The president-elect’s margin of victory in key battleground states was vast sufficient that main media shops have been capable of undertaking his win within the early morning hours after election night time — a stark distinction to 2020 when it took a number of days to find out President Joe Biden had gained.
Votes are nonetheless being counted and processed in a number of states through the post-election canvassing interval, however there’s sufficient info out there that signifies Trump made in-roads with voters throughout race, gender and ethnicity, amongst different demographics. And no matter rally sizes and on-the-ground enthusiasm for the candidates, most polls confirmed an in depth race going into Election Day. The ultimate tally of votes is anticipated to mirror that.
Narratives about widespread voter fraud flourished within the lead-up to November 5, partly as a result of Trump has unfold unfounded conspiracy theories about it over a number of years. That contributed to a extra organized election denialism motion that now contains some election officers.
It’s additionally a message that members of Congress concluded immediately led to the lethal riot on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Election officers have been on the receiving finish of the conspiracy theories. After 2020, they reported harassment, intimidation and threats of violence. They advocated for federal help and insurance policies to guard their security. They tried to deliver transparency to the election course of, providing excursions of poll processing services and different public occasions. They nonetheless dealt with a flood of disinformation.
Tina Barton is a senior election professional for The Elections Group, which goals to construct belief and stronger relationships between election officers and regulation enforcement. She believes the scope of election denialism within the post-November 5 sphere has been contained partly due to the work that election officers have accomplished to arrange, together with working by safety eventualities and efforts to debunk lies.
“We have come a long way from where we were four years ago, and I give a lot of credit to the election officials for the work that they have done, and so many partners and groups who have been dedicated to the election process and democracy,” she stated.
Trump stated throughout his third bid for the presidency this yr that he wouldn’t absolutely settle for the outcomes of the election. Early on November 5, he claimed with out proof that dishonest was happening in Philadelphia and that there was associated police presence in Detroit — two cities with massive populations of Black voters who are likely to vote for Democrats.
For these causes, voting consultants anticipated Trump to problem the outcomes if he misplaced. However as incoming vote tallies on election night time confirmed Trump within the lead, his messaging on the topic stopped. He has primarily turned his consideration to asserting his picks for Cupboard and different authorities roles. Harris by no means publicly questioned the outcomes, and like Hillary Clinton in 2016, she conceded the day after the election — making certain the peaceable switch of energy.
Nonetheless, different types of election denialism are enjoying out elsewhere on the web. A few of Trump’s supporters are pointing to Trump’s win as proof that he additionally gained in 2020. He didn’t, as decided by audits, lawsuits and his personal administration.
When Byrum did comparable debunking following Trump’s loss to Biden, she was stunned on the verbal vitriol that got here in response. This time, Byrum is seeing one thing totally different: individuals are thanking her for the reasons.
“They’re trying to process the information,” she stated. “And the response that I’ve received thus far has been very positive.”
In latest days, billionaire investor Elon Musk has additionally claimed with out proof that Democrats are attempting to cheat within the shut Pennsylvania Senate race between Republican Dave McCormick and Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. McCormick leads Casey in unofficial outcomes which can be inside half of a proportion level — triggering a legally required statewide recount that’s scheduled to be accomplished later this month.
The Related Press and Determination Desk HQ have referred to as the race for McCormick. However Casey has not conceded within the race amid ongoing poll counting.
Musk — who endorsed Trump, financially supported his candidacy and has since been tapped by the president-elect to co-lead a newly proposed “Department of Government Efficiency” — claimed on the social media platform that he owns that noncitizens voted in Pennsylvania. There is no such thing as a proof of such widespread voter fraud. Trump gained the state this yr.
In an in depth Wisconsin Senate race, Republican Eric Hovde, who challenged Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, claimed with out proof that there have been “voting inconsistencies” on Election Day. The Related Press and Determination Desk HQ have referred to as the race for Baldwin. Hovde conceded on Monday.
It’s unclear for now to what diploma election denialism will form future elections — or coverage. Trump posted on his Reality Social account on November 8 that he deliberate to advocate that Individuals present proof of citizenship and voter identification to solid a poll.
It’s already unlawful for noncitizens to vote in state and federal elections. Thirty-six states require some type of identification to vote, and the remaining others use different strategies to confirm identification.
Hannah Fried, govt director of All Voting is Native, a nonpartisan group that works to guard voting entry, stated it’s too early to know the way the brand new administration would possibly attempt to implement voting coverage. However she stated indirectly, altering the regulation will not be the purpose.
“It is to create enough doubt in our elections that you can use that doubt to consolidate your own power, or create this sort of undergirding to pass laws that a state legislature, for example, can pass that can be really harmful to voters,” she stated.
Byrum in Michigan has been relieved by the discount in threats and intimidation following this yr’s election. However she is aware of that weaponized denialism can fester over time and create future issues for the election workforce. She needs to remind people who the overwhelming majority of election officers are public servants who’re making an attempt to observe election legal guidelines and guidelines. They’re additionally simply people.
“We are your neighbors. We sit beside you at church. We are behind you in the drop-off line at school,” she stated. “We are dedicated to promoting safe and secure elections.”
