Trump is already claiming election fraud
Officials are 'rattled' by threats of prosecution ahead of the 2024 election


Donald Trump has a long history of claiming fraud at the polls. He did it in 2016 — when he won the Electoral College but lost the popular vote. He did it again in 2020, making false claims of victory when he lost on both counts. And he's doing it again in 2024.
With a week left to go before Election Day, Trump has "claimed two Pennsylvania counties are experiencing voter fraud," said CNN. In a social media post, Trump said York County "received THOUSANDS of potentially FRUADULENT Voter Registration Forms and Mail-In Ballot Applications." Pennsylvania officials acknowledge they're investigating 2,500 voter registration forms from what they called a "large-scale canvassing operation," but also said they've taken steps to protect the integrity of the vote. The Keystone State "will have a free and fair, safe, and secure election," said Gov. Josh Shapiro.
In a close election, "it doesn't take much encouragement to inflame partisan tensions," said The New York Times. But Pennsylvania officials say the fact they caught the potentially problematic registrations is a sign of the system's resilience. "The system worked," said Alice Yoder, a Lancaster County commissioner. She urged partisans to avoid using the incident for political advantage — that "really sows doubt in our election," Yoder said. But Trump's history suggests more fraud claims are on the way.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'Republican Party War Rooms' ready for 2024
Trump is putting his money where his mouth is. The former president in April announced an effort to "combat voter fraud" by deploying "100,000 attorneys and volunteers" in swing states, Reuters said. GOP officials will staff "Republican Party War Rooms" and launch "Election Integrity Hotline" to answer calls from voters about possible irregularities. Similar efforts were made by Republicans during the 2022 midterm elections, but the latest program is a "significant step up in terms of its scope and ambition."
The former president is also pushing Republicans in Congress to get on board. Earlier this fall, Trump urged GOP members of the House "pursue a government shutdown" unless they can pass a "hard-line voting bill" as part of the funding resolution to keep the government open, said CNBC. The bill, called the SAVE Act, would have required voters to "show proof of citizenship at the ballot box" — a demand founded on Trump's unproven social media claims that "DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO 'STUFF' VOTER REGISTRATIONS WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS." The funding resolution ultimately passed without the SAVE Act attached.
More lawsuits on the way
The legal battle has already begun. Republicans have "filed more than 100 lawsuits" challenging election procedures ahead of the 2024 election, said Axios. More lawsuits are on the way. "Pre-election litigation has been pretty heavy," said Benjamin Ginsberg, a GOP lawyer. A Republican National Committee spokesperson said the party will continue efforts to make sure the election is "fair, transparent, legal and accurate."
All of this is "setting the stage" to challenge another election loss and "throw the electoral system into chaos again," said NBC News. At his rallies, Trump is more frequently raising the specter of Democratic fraud. But his campaign "has not been able to identify evidence that the 2024 election would not be free and fair," said NBC. Said Trump: "We're very early in the process."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
Are inflatable costumes and naked bike rides helping or hurting ICE protests?
Talking Points Trump administration efforts to portray Portland and Chicago as dystopian war zones have been met with dancing frogs, bare butts and a growing movement to mock MAGA doomsaying
-
‘Are we just going to stand in passive witness to the degradation of our democracy?’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Venezuela: Does Trump want war?
Feature Donald Trump has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a drug cartel and waging a narco-terrorism campaign against the United States
-
Two years on, a Gaza truce may be in sight
Feature Israel and Hamas consider the U.S.’ 20-point peace plan exchanging hostages for prisoners
-
Trump declares end to Gaza war, ‘dawn’ of new Mideast
Speed Read Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli hostages and Israel released thousands of Palestinian detainees
-
Has the Gaza deal saved Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question With elections looming, Israel’s longest serving PM will ‘try to carry out political alchemy, converting the deal into political gold’
-
Trump’s deportations are changing how we think about food
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The Department of Labor’s admission that immigration raids have affected America’s food supplies reopens a longstanding debate