Philadelphia elections inspector explains why 'rigged' election theories are absurd
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Donald Trump has claimed that the presidential election will be "rigged," a theory that has been parroted by allies Roger Stone, Alex Jones, Newt Gingrich, and Sean Hannity. As proof, Hannity and others have pointed to the fact that in 2012, Mitt Romney didn't receive a single vote in 59 districts in and around Philadelphia; Hannity considers this a blatant example of electoral fraud.
Ryan Godfrey, a Republican-turned-independent inspector of elections for a Philadelphia voting division, took to Twitter to explain why such accusations strike him as completely preposterous:
Okay, okay, but what if someone hacked the software to change Republican votes into Democratic ones? Well, Godfrey has an explanation for why that is a ridiculous theory, too. Read the entire thread, here.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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