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Far-right activists, anti-democracy actors, and election deniers frequently use misleading terminology to advance patently false narratives of widespread election fraud in the United States. These groups use vague language, flawed statistics, and unsubstantiated claims to sow doubt about the integrity of our elections.
The language used by anti-democracy actors and election deniers is not simply inflammatory — it’s dangerous to our democracy. From talking about non-existent “dead voters” to attacking voting machines, it sows doubt about the accuracy and results of our elections.
That’s why below we’ve outlined the common debunked conspiracy theories and false claims perpetuated by election deniers and subverters, and explain what the common terminology used by election deniers actually means. In doing so, we hope to provide clarity for both the public and the media on what the vote counting and election certification process actually looks like and what the laws and practices that govern our elections actually are.
Below, we look at a few of the most common claims by election deniers, including:
Upholding the integrity of our democratic institutions requires a commitment to truth, transparency, and respect for the rule of law. By understanding and accurately portraying these processes we can counteract the spread of misinformation and uphold the principles of democracy.
After Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, election deniers insisted the election was somehow stolen and began a coordinated push for a “forensic audit” of the 2020 election.
Election deniers intentionally point to inaccurate or immaterial data to justify their false claims of election fraud, including party registration numbers, door-to-door canvasses, and findings from flawed databases like EagleAI.
Their efforts have not stopped. In Pennsylvania, for example, election deniers calling themselves Audit the Vote PA successfully petitioned county officials in Pennsylvania to recount the 2020 election two years after the election. **
These are common ways that election deniers will falsely frame calls for a “forensic audit” or a “vote audit”.
From poll-closing procedures, to machine and risk-limiting audits, audits and error checks are built into the process.
To find out more about the types of audits in your state see “50 State Post-Vote Guide: How We Count, Canvass, Certify, and Audit Our Elections: Risk-Liming Audits & Other Audits.” Informing Democracy, Jan 29, 2024.
Examples from election deniers calling for forensic audits or vote audits:
Letter from State Legislators to the American People, 10/15/21
Facebook, Betsy Rohanna McClure, 9/4/21
Facebook, Robert Rossman for PA, 5/18/22
Mohave County Board of Supervisors, Minutes, 11/28/22
Election deniers falsely claim there is widespread voter fraud in our electoral system, largely driven by fraudulent votes in the names of dead voters and organized attempts to recruit undocumented immigrants to vote illegally. They largely attribute this fraud to the availability of mail-in voting. This often leads to calls to “count every legal vote.”
Following the 2020 election, election deniers claimed huge numbers of votes were cast on behalf of dead voters; subsequent investigations debunked these claims and those about widespread voting by noncitizens. Despite this reality, the Speaker of the House appeared with Donald Trump to tout a solution to this non-problem: a bill to prohibit noncitizens from voting.
Common ways that election deniers will claim voter fraud:
There is very little voter fraud and check-in processes exist for all ballot types to ensure a voter’s name and information match their voter registration information before they are permitted to cast a ballot.
For vote-by-mail ballots, checking a voter’s eligibility is typically the first step taken by the elections office upon receipt of the ballot as a part of the pre-processing or pre-canvassing process.
See “50 State Post-Vote Guide: How We Count, Canvass, Certify, and Audit Our Elections: Pre-Canvassing.” Informing Democracy, Jan 29, 2024.
Examples from election deniers claiming voter fraud:
Twitter, @RealDonaldTrump, 11/19/20
Facebook, Jeff Serdy, 5/16/23
Facebook, Rick Jeffares, 12/13/2020 in a since-removed post
Since the 2020 election, election deniers’ unfounded attacks on Dominion voting machines have snowballed into widespread distrust of any voting machine or tabulator.
As County Commissioner Rex Steninger — an election denier who pushed Elko County, Nevada to get rid of Dominion voting machines — said, “In my mind, logic tells me these machines can be tampered with.”
These suspicions led election deniers to try to gain unauthorized access to voting machines in places like Coffee County, Georgia to prove fraud.
Common ways that election deniers will attack voting machines:
Logic and Accuracy Testing is a key part of the process before every election to ensure voting machines are working properly.
Additionally, post-election audit procedures in many states provide an additional check on the integrity of the results.
See “50 State Post-Vote Guide: How We Count, Canvass, Certify, and Audit Our Elections: Risk-Liming Audits & Other Audits.” Informing Democracy, Jan 29, 2024.
Examples from election deniers attacking voting machines:
Twitter, @LauraLoomer, 11/7/23
Lander County Board of Commissioners, 10/14/21
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Lyon County Board of County Commissioners, 9/7/23