Overview

In order to conduct our research into election officials, Informing Democracy created a standard terminology, explained below, to categorize findings in our Libraries of Election Officials based on areas of concern. These categories allow us to standardize findings and identify trends and types of threats, despite state and local variation in vote counting and election certification processes.

Election Denial

Rejecting the results of the 2020 presidential election or expressing belief that there is widespread fraud throughout our electoral system undermining election outcomes is what we define as election denial. Examples include:

• Publicly denying the results of the 2020 election
• Defending efforts to overturn the 2020 election, or criticizing the judicial efforts to hold those accountable for 2020 election interference
• Embracing, sharing, or platforming conspiracy theories that question the legitimacy of U.S. elections

Election Subversion

Direct action to subvert the administration, counting, or reporting of a free and fair election constitutes election subversion. Actions could include but are not limited to:

• Voting against or refusing to certify election results without substantive grounds for doing so
• Refusing to perform their official election duties or otherwise disrupting the legal election administration process
• Voting for or supporting a post-election audit separate from the state or locality's routine and previously established audit processes that is undertaken without clear and convincing evidence of a need for additional review
• Spreading or sharing election-related disinformation within one’s official capacity
• Voiding or attempting to void the results of a free and fair election
• Voting for or expressing support for counting every ballot by hand
• Intimidating voters from casting ballots
• Threatening election officials and workers or inciting or participating in violence related to election administration
• Tampering with sensitive voting data and equipment
• Refusing to concede electoral defeat without substantive grounds for doing so
• Working to rewrite election rules in a manner that undermines the will of the voter or basic democratic process
• Filing mass voter challenges
• Bringing bad faith litigation with the intent to suppress duly cast ballots or disenfranchise voters