Be very careful when making stolen election claims

On the second day of in-person early voting in Texas, a Tarrant County man posted a video on social media, claiming his voting machine switched his presidential vote to the other candidate. Election officials let him vote again and the system worked. The man almost certainly got it wrong the first time he voted, according to state officials. And yet his public claim of swinging votes might have encouraged people to go to that polling station to protest.

It’s a scenario we may see several times before this election is behind us. In heightened political tensions, such claims could lead to denunciations, protests and violence.

People run polling stations and electoral offices and they can make mistakes. Voters can also make mistakes. In addition, voting machines sometimes break down and software can malfunction. Not every mistake and not every human error is a conspiracy to steal an election.

So, before anyone releases stolen election returns, they must contact election officials. If something went wrong, there may be a perfect explanation, including human error or misunderstanding.

Yes, voter fraud happens, but so do false and erroneous claims of voter fraud. There’s an old joke that goes something like this: “Economists have predicted nine out of the last five economic recessions.” Similarly, there are far more claims of electoral fraud and stolen elections than actually occurred.

Consider Donald Trump’s claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. This has led his supporters to threaten and even assault poll workers and election officials, including Republicans who supported and voted for Trump.

The Wall Street Journal reported on precautions taken in Arizona, one of the swing states that could decide the election. Steven Richer, a Republican and recorder of elections for Arizona’s Maricopa County, says 10 longtime employees on his 140-person staff have resigned over safety concerns. And many of its 3,000 volunteer workers were spooked after their cars were surrounded by angry Trump supporters.

The Journal adds: “Across the state, election workers went through active shooter drills and learned to barricade themselves or wield fire hoses to fend off armed mobs. Trauma kits containing tourniquets and bandages designed to pack chest wounds and stop severe bleeding are being prepared.”

Those who claim the election was stolen say Arizona could not vote a Democrat for president even though it had two Democratic senators and currently has a Democratic governor and had a Democratic governor from 2003 to 2009.

And Arizona is not alone. For example, writes the Journal“In Colorado, death threats from election deniers have prompted some county clerks and election officials to keep bulletproof vests handy.”

If evidence of widespread election fraud had emerged in 2020, one could understand the fury. But no one has proven that the election was stolen, even after some 60 lawsuits and numerous state recounts.

And yet everyone is on edge, fearing that this year’s losers will react violently, be they Republicans or Democrats—remember that Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and Stacey Abrams in the 2018 Georgia Governor’s Race they continued to claim that their election was stolen.

Democrats have thrown fuel on the election-denying fire by opposing nearly all recent state election integrity laws and denouncing reasonable practices, such as requiring voter IDs, that can make cheating more difficult.

Some state practices add to the skepticism. Swing states Wisconsin and Pennsylvania do not allow mail-in ballots to be opened and counted until Election Day, which could delay results by several days, raising suspicions of fraud.

But it is also true that some people will probably try to commit fraud. Pennsylvania elections officials are investigating “potential fraud in voter registration applications from three” counties. To be clear, these are not votes cast, as such Trump said. There are applications to register to vote. Even so, everyone would be better off if the Keystone State adopted some good election practices like Florida has.

What’s a concerned voter to do? First, be a responsible observer to make sure the voting process in your area is working properly. Second, if you see something troubling, talk to an election official. There may be a good explanation.

Third, if that doesn’t work, contact investigative reporters at local television or radio stations. They have the expertise and resources to get answers.

Election fraud occurs, but be careful of attributing to conspiracy what can just as easily be attributed to incompetence or stupidity.

Merrill Matthews is a political and public policy analyst and co-author of On the Edge: America Faces the Entitlements Cliff. Follow him further X@MerrillMatthews

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