Trump's fraud claims revive fears he may again seek to overturn election results
1 تشرين الثاني 2024 13:17
False claims about voter fraud in Pennsylvania have raised concerns that former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump may once again seek to overturn the vote there or in other battleground states likely to determine the winner next Tuesday.
Opinion polls, both nationally and in the seven closely divided states, show Trump locked in a tight race with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris with four days to go before Election Day.
Trump continues to falsely claim his 2020 loss to Democratic President Joe Biden was the result of widespread fraud in multiple states that Trump lost, while he and his supporters have spread baseless claims about this election in Pennsylvania.
Similar rhetoric about voter fraud after the 2020 vote led to a violent mob of Trump supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, seeking to halt or sway the congressional count of the electoral votes that determine who becomes president.
"This is sowing the seeds for attempts to overturn an election result that cuts against Donald Trump," said Kyle Miller, a Pennsylvania policy strategist for the advocacy group Protect Democracy. "We saw it in 2020 and I think the lesson Trump and his allies have learned since is that they have to sow these ideas early."
Trump on Thursday stepped up his unfounded allegations that probes into suspect voter registration forms are proof of voter fraud. Some of his supporters alleged voter suppression when long lines formed this week to receive mail-in ballots.
State officials and democracy advocates said the incidents show a system working as intended. A judge extended the mail-in ballot deadline by three days in Bucks County, north of Philadelphia, after the former U.S. president's campaign sued over claims that some voters were turned away before a Tuesday deadline.
Election officials discovered potentially fraudulent registrations in Lancaster and neighboring York counties, prompting investigations by local law enforcement. There is no evidence the applications have led or will lead to illegal votes.
"This is a sign that the built-in safeguards in our voter registration process are working," Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania's top elections official, told reporters this week.
Opinion polls, both nationally and in the seven closely divided states, show Trump locked in a tight race with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris with four days to go before Election Day.
Trump continues to falsely claim his 2020 loss to Democratic President Joe Biden was the result of widespread fraud in multiple states that Trump lost, while he and his supporters have spread baseless claims about this election in Pennsylvania.
Similar rhetoric about voter fraud after the 2020 vote led to a violent mob of Trump supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, seeking to halt or sway the congressional count of the electoral votes that determine who becomes president.
"This is sowing the seeds for attempts to overturn an election result that cuts against Donald Trump," said Kyle Miller, a Pennsylvania policy strategist for the advocacy group Protect Democracy. "We saw it in 2020 and I think the lesson Trump and his allies have learned since is that they have to sow these ideas early."
Trump on Thursday stepped up his unfounded allegations that probes into suspect voter registration forms are proof of voter fraud. Some of his supporters alleged voter suppression when long lines formed this week to receive mail-in ballots.
State officials and democracy advocates said the incidents show a system working as intended. A judge extended the mail-in ballot deadline by three days in Bucks County, north of Philadelphia, after the former U.S. president's campaign sued over claims that some voters were turned away before a Tuesday deadline.
Election officials discovered potentially fraudulent registrations in Lancaster and neighboring York counties, prompting investigations by local law enforcement. There is no evidence the applications have led or will lead to illegal votes.
"This is a sign that the built-in safeguards in our voter registration process are working," Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania's top elections official, told reporters this week.