Online claims of election fraud surge, then subside as Trump wins

In the lead-up to election day, social media was awash with baseless claims of voter fraud, fueling doubts about the election's integrity, according to CBS News.

Posts on platforms like X highlighted minor technical issues, power outages, and spelling errors on ballots as supposed signs of a conspiracy.

Former President Donald Trump joined the fray, posting on Truth Social at 4:30 p.m. on election day, alleging "massive cheating" in Pennsylvania—a claim that officials dismissed as having "no factual basis whatsoever."

However, as votes were counted and it became clear that Trump was on track for victory, the deluge of posts questioning the election's legitimacy faded, researchers report.

"I think this shows that these narratives are pushed when they serve a purpose, and they are stage setting often for efforts to dispute unfavorable results," said Max Read, a senior researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

"And then once that stage setting and those claims are no longer needed, they're not pushed anymore."

A striking example of this trend was Elon Musk's "Election Integrity Community" on X, a group of nearly 65,000 members started by Musk's political action committee to report "voter fraud or irregularities."

Before election day, the group became a hub for speculation and rumors. When polls opened, the group saw hundreds of posts per hour. But after Pennsylvania was called for Trump, effectively blocking Vice President Kamala Harris's path, the activity in the group dwindled.

According to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, discussions around voting machines in states like Pennsylvania and Michigan spiked on election day but dropped sharply by Wednesday morning.

In Cambria County, Pennsylvania, a technical issue briefly disabled voting machines, prompting voters to use paper ballots. While officials extended voting hours, social media rumors falsely suggested the glitch was an attempt to discard Trump votes.

Danielle Lee Tompson, an election-rumor researcher at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public, noted similarities with Arizona's 2022 midterms, when technical issues fueled baseless claims of fraud.

"On election day, we can always expect there to be irregularities or glitches or problems at polling sites," Tompson said. "The question is will those issues be contorted into a larger narrative that election fraud is happening."

Although rumors diminished as results solidified, false claims continued. In Arizona, some right-leaning users cast doubt on Democrat Ruben Gallego's lead over Republican Kari Lake. Others alleged "missing votes" based on turnout comparisons with 2020.

This time, unlike after Trump's 2020 loss, no high-profile officials questioned the results.

Harris, in her concession speech Wednesday, urged Americans to accept the outcome, calling it a "fundamental principle of American democracy."