Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump was elected as the 47th president of the United States, social media users began spreading conflicting narratives suggesting election fraud. One narrative revived false claims by Trump that the 2020 vote was stolen from him, while the other questioned how Vice President Kamala Harris could have received significantly fewer votes in 2024 than President Joe Biden did in 2020. Both narratives revolved around a supposed 20 million vote gap between Harris and Biden. However, the claims are unfounded as votes from the 2024 election are still being counted, making any comparison with previous races inaccurate. Election officials and agencies monitoring the vote have reported no significant issues with the recent election, and claims of widespread fraud in 2020 have been repeatedly debunked.
Despite statements from officials confirming the security and accuracy of the 2024 election, posts continued to circulate online, claiming that 20 million votes were not counted, suggesting that Trump had cheated to secure a second term. However, no evidence supports these claims, and it is crucial to await the completion of the vote counting process before making any conclusions. Harris had won around 67 million votes as of Wednesday afternoon, while Biden garnered approximately 81 million votes in 2020, showing a difference of about 14 million. The gap is expected to decrease as the vote count continues, with no state having counted 100% of its ballots yet. Trump is also lagging behind his 2020 total by about 2 million votes, with this gap also decreasing as more votes are counted.
Following the 2020 election, Biden won the Electoral College with 306 votes to Trump’s 232 and the popular vote by over 7 million ballots. Various battleground states conducted recounts or thorough reviews of their results, all confirming Biden’s victory. An Associated Press investigation in 2021 found fewer than 475 instances of confirmed voter fraud across six battleground states, not significant enough to sway the outcome of the presidential election. Trump had been advised by members of his own administration that there was no evidence of widespread fraud, and multiple legal challenges alleging voter fraud were rejected by courts at the state and federal level, including those with judges appointed by Trump.
The claims of fraud in the 2024 election mirror baseless allegations that emerged four years ago, with Vice President Kamala Harris even conceding the race to Trump and congratulating him. It is essential to respect the results of the election, and any claims of fraud should be based on concrete evidence rather than unfounded speculation. As the vote counting process continues, it is crucial for accurate information to be disseminated to prevent the spread of misinformation and maintain the integrity of the democratic process. Voters and social media users should be cautious of false narratives and seek information from reliable sources to make informed judgments about election outcomes.
