It's maddening that Trump, Vance, and various GOP congress members still won't admit that Trump lost in 2020, but now they suddenly believe our elections are fair and free. I'm glad that Kamala had the grace to concede, and not stir up or embolden these theories.
I’m not convinced she did need to write this article… There are always, and have always been, the “crazies” who will believe whatever theory they want. In 2020, the “crazies” just happened to be in the White House and convinced half the country the election was stolen. That did not happen this year, and while the “BlueAnon” theories will get air time (like this article), it’s not because it’s a serious concern. It’s getting airtime because well-meaning writers are trying to both-sides their concerns.
The best I can hope for this article is that Repubs who bought into election lies in 2020 will read this and realize how crazy their own election lies were. But the worst case scenario is that articles like this will allow Repubs to entrench themselves in their theories by believing it happens on both sides and there’s nothing wrong with it.
I voted Trump and do not believe at all that the election was stolen in 2020. So I'm not sure what you mean by the 'crazies' convinced half the country. I actually don't know of anyone personally who believed it was stolen, including some staunch Republicans. I think it is a crazy and unfounded conspiracy theory.
Your personal experience does not define the country as a whole. Per a May 2023 Monmouth poll, fully 30% of the U.S. population still believes the 2020 election was stolen. (Is that half, no - I rounded up to make a point, and you can consider this post a correction).
If you don't believe the 2020 election was stolen, how do you account for Trump's actions from Nov 5 - Jan 6, 2020 (and indeed for the following four years when he refused to concede)? Was Trump just lying and attempting to stay in office despite losing? And if he was just lying and attempting to thwart constitutional requirements that he leave office, how do you justify voting for him again? (Please understand I'm not trying to be rude or offensive here - I'm genuinely curious to understand how people who believe 2020 was legitimate can also vote for a man who tried to overturn the results.)
Put another way, per the May 2023 Monmouth poll you cite, fully 70% of the population *does not believe* the 2020 election was stolen. Trump didn't overturn the results. Whether or not he wanted to, he didn't. And I voted for Biden in 2020, but not this time. Trump left office when he was supposed to, and Biden was inaugurated in January 2021. I know it's hard for many on the left to understand "how people who believe 2020 was legitimate can also vote for a man who tried to overturn the results." And yet here we are, four years later, with Republicans *sweeping* the Senate, the House, and the Presidency. There is a tremendous amount of reporting and analysis on why the Dems lost this election. I don't think Sharon will do a Preamble on that (I wish she would summarize the analysis, even if just as food for thought).
"Sweeping" is not how I would frame gaining 4 Senate Seats, losing 4 House seats (thereby maintaining the absolute slimmest of majorities), and the Presidential candidate getting just under 50% of the popular vote. I only point that out because the framing of this election - by Trump and other GOP politicians and pundits - as some kind of national mandate or referendum is just a distortion, and that would be just as true if Harris and the Democrats did the same numbers and were making the same claims. Trump and the GOP won very, very narrowly.
I would love for Sharon to discuss the post-election analysis, because I think there are a lot of interesting theories to consider: anti-incumbent sentiment, siloed information ecosystems, deeply personal feelings about the economy, the movement behind RFK Jr. The mistake that Trump is making (intentionally or not) is assuming that the 29% of the adults in America that voted for him did so with the same intent and actively support all of his policies. The mixed tickets for Trump & down-ballot Democrat candidates and policies alone would suggest that's not true.
Flipping the statistic does not actually make me feel any better. The fact that Trump was able to convince 30% of US citizens of a lie he sold is deeply concerning. His being forced to leave office doesn’t remove the danger that he tried to stay. He was only successfully ousted because Pence had the wherewithal to refuse to obey Trump, and Trump now requires loyalty so that he won’t have a Pence denial again. I’d suggest you read Oath and Honor or watch the Jan 6 hearings again if you can so easily dismiss the danger that was actually present during Trump’s forced dismissal from office.
I'd suggest you exit the echo chamber and mingle - in person - with people who don't vote the way you do. People who don't vote the way you do are Black, Asian, Hispanic, Bi/multiracial, Asian, Native, White (all races and ethnicities). They hold many college degrees and no college degrees. They are gay, trans, straight, queer. They are men and women. They are Gen Z, and Millenials, and Gen X and Boomers. They are pro-life and pro-choice. They are deeply religious and vocally atheist. They are teachers and baristas and doctors and mechanics and farmers and business owners and landscapers and fast food workers and students and lawyers and bank tellers. They live in rural, suburban and urban areas. Being breathless with contempt for fellow Americans is not the way forward. I didn't vote for Trump, by the way.
I would too. I greatly appreciate that Sharon presents factual information. Unfortunately (especially lately) she only chooses to present facts that support one opinion. She presents them in a way that clearly push others to have the same opinions as her. I still love many things about her and this space and her IG but she is not a source of unbiased news or information.
It wasn't meant as a dig. It was meant as a statement: I don't think Sharon will do a Preamble on the reporting and analysis of why Dems lost. It seems like you read it as if I said, "But Sharon won't do a Preamble on THAT now will she???" Not my intention. Hope this clears that up.
It's not something I would want to expand on in this setting. I voted for him for many reasons but how he behaved after the 2020 election definitely changed my opinion of him. He wouldn't have been my first choice for President, but I strongly believe he was the better choice.
I had friends I knew from high school last election posting 2020 election fraud articles. On the other hand I also have a few family members saying they thought maybe this election was stolen. There’s this idea that these “crazy” ideas are only found within the living in the basement type people. But some people who truly fall into this line of thinking have normal 9-5 jobs and kids and spouses and live fairly normal lives. I think it’s bc we as a society have gotten more entrenched into echo chambers that just support the facts we want to hear.
Yeah I definitely think there's something to be said for how far and wide these theories have spread on the left vs. what they did on the right in 2020.
It strikes me the article does what all of Sharon's articles do among those I have had time to read (I'm a recent subscriber). It displays common sense and clarifies an issue that is a major target for distortion in our communication space. Among the many things we have seriously damaged in America in recent years--and it is beyond troubling--is trust. We spend way too much energy doubting and discrediting each other, our institutions, our public servants, our very rationale for being this particular Nation among the family of nations. And that is just an initial counting of the manifestations of distrust that haunts us. Once lost, trust is immensely difficult to recover, especially in a society as diverse and complex as ours. I am sure most of us on this thread value Sharon's efforts to clarify and educate, where so many voices seek to confuse us by distorting reality. We have dug a deep hole for ourselves and getting out of it isn't going to be easy. It is communities of Americans like this one that gives me hope that the endeavor will succeed, however long it takes. The next four years will offer a stress test like no other in recent years. We have a lot of work to do, and Sharon's is one of the voices that will help us get it done.
This is wild. I am left-leaning and am also on TiKTok and I haven't come across any of these conspiracy theories. I'm not happy Trump won, but I trust our electoral process. (Facts don't require our approval!)
Substack has a whoooole lot of dark corners, including ones that are spreading these claims - thankfully, it's been easy to just mute those accounts and move on.
Sharon, I love your theory that easier voting = more voting. As a hard-working member of the League of Women Voters, I totally support making voting easier. However, I wonder if another thing that may have influenced lower voter turnout (despite all of our efforts) is that both candidates were not incumbents in ‘20, had no presidential records, and voters were able to project their hopes (however unreasonable) onto them. Whereas, in ‘24, T had already served, and as VP, H (however unfairly) was perceived as an extension of the B administration in which she served. Therefore, they were both known quantities, and people could not project their hopes onto them, and make them into their “dream candidate” in the same way. Short story: fantasy excites -reality bites.
I need to add a correction!
It has been brought to my attention that Trump was absolutely an incumbent in 2020. I apologize for the mistake, and appreciate the help setting it straight.
I agree there wasn't election fraud. But there were shenanigans in the form of foreign influence and voter roll purging. There was plenty to be concerned about, but not necessarily at the polls. Dark money, disenfranchisement, and disinformation/influence campaigns by our global enemies is more than enough to worry about without blaming the voting process.
Yes. It makes me sad that it is true, but no group is immune from “fringe.” However, let’s not make the cynical mistake of “both sides do it.” That would be a false equivalency. The difference? One group embraces and amplifies theirs.
Similar to the 2016 Election conspiracies about Russian interference? Conspiracy theories aren't new nor is one side better than the other. It's thanks to people like Sharon who take time to debunk them and keep us all sane.
It is easily provable that the Trump 2020 election lies are more insidious than any other election lie theories from past elections. Exhibit 1 is January 6th. Exhibit 2 is the fact that the only people still talking about supposed 2016 concerns are Republicans (who won that year). Does “stuff” happen on both sides? Obviously. Is that “stuff” equally as damaging? Not by a long shot.
In no, way, shape or form was Russian interference in our elections, especially in 2016, 2020 and 2024, ever debunked by anyone credible, certainly not Sharon McMahon. In fact, U.S. and allied intelligence agencies and law enforcement have found vast evidence of such interference. Trump calling it a hoax, like he labels climate change and everything else he doesn’t like, has no validity whatsoever.
Amy, respectfully, one party has claimed the 2020 election was stolen/rigged and one has not. Several prominent Republicans, including the president-elect himself, still push this conspiracy theory, publicly. It led to the insurrection at the Capitol. I don't see the Democrats doing this currently - do you? Just because conspiracy theories exist on both sides, does not mean both sides are handling it the same way.
It is an awful conspiracy but there is an arrogance amongst some Democrats that think their party is morally above Republicans. That is not the case and we should all apply critical thinking skills to conspiracy theories - no matter which side they come from.
Texas is a state that immediately took action after 2020 to further restrict voting so the stage was set to make it even more difficult going forward for any Democrat to succeed here. It's also managed to get away with gerrymandering on an epic scale. Now that Republicans will control all levers of government there is no chance of passing any national legislation to address these issues. The Republicans are playing 3 dimensional chess while Democrats play checkers.
I’m from Texas as well which might be why some of these people who are like “I don’t know anyone who believes conspiracy theories” make my jaw drop. Come down here to the Buckle on the Bible Belt because we’ve got whackos in droves!!! But also makes me realize that the flavor of evangelical here simply went full-on nut job. It’s an aspect that not every place else experiences.
thank you for your article. Could you please clarify something? You wrote that both candidates received less votes as compared to 2020 but Trump actually did receive more votes in 2024 ,76.5 million as compared to 74.2 million that he received in 2020. Voter turn out as you stated was down by about 5 million voters which could explain why Harris did not fair as well as Biden.
My interpretation of this was that she meant the 2024 winner received fewer votes than the 2020 winner, just as the 2024 loser received fewer votes than the corresponding 2020.
That may be what she meant, but she stated "both parties received fewer votes in 2024 than they did in 2020." She did not state the loser had less and the winners had less. I think it needs an explanation or correction.
"Now, two weeks later, Kamala Harris’s vote total is 73.8 million and Donald Trump is at 76.5 million. Four years ago, Biden got 81.2 million and Trump got 74.2 million votes. So overall, both parties received fewer votes in 2024 than they did in 2020."
Correction needed. Trump got ~2 million more votes in 2024 than he did in 2020!
Do I think there was election fraud? No. I trust our electoral systems. However I do believe that an aggressive disinformation campaign was run by Elon Musk, and funded by dark money. Do both sides do it? Yes. Do the Rs do it way more? Yes I think so. I did not get this information from some liberal corner of the internet, but from the Washington Post. And Jeff Bezos was no great promoter of Biden nor Harris.
Are ballots still being counted? Not re-count, but regular count. My mail in ballot status still says “received” and I just checked again and has not yet moved to “counted.” I’m in MD (which is not a swing state so would not change any electoral count, but still seems odd…). I know I could check w my state board too…
I would definitely suggest you check in with your state. Ballots are still being counted in several places across the country, including in MD (the NYTimes tracker indicates MD's count status as >95% counted), but they should be close to finished, and it's worthwhile to check in before things are fully complete.
How is 74,222,958 million votes for Trump in 2020 more than the 76.5 million he received in 2024?
This entire segment is not factually accurate.
"Now, two weeks later, Kamala Harris’s vote total is 73.8 million and Donald Trump is at 76.5 million. Four years ago, Biden got 81.2 million and Trump got 74.2 million votes. So overall, both parties received fewer votes in 2024 than they did in 2020."
Also, an update on the Pennsylvania recount which was public knowledge yesterday:
"In an opinion filed Monday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that ballots that failed to arrive with a correct handwritten date on the return envelope, and thereby failed to comply with the requirements of the state election code, would not be included in the final vote tally in the race between Senator Bob Casey and his Republican opponent, Dave McCormick."
And this: "After the 2020 election, laws were changed to make it more difficult to vote again." Pennsylvania in 2020, the state election election code committee changed election laws without legislation (which many assert was illegal), and since then the state (with a democrat governor),has reinforced the laws on the books, with regard to late mail in ballots and signatures. Georgia has made it easier to vote since 2020 and have had more, not fewer, people vote in 2022 and 2024.
You say some states have made it harder to vote without any data to back that statement up. We are supposed to just trust you? How can we trust anything you write about when me, a nobody, is fact checking you?
I honestly can't believe that after 4 years - 4 YEARS - of talking about how ridiculous claims of election fraud were this is happening. Can't people hear themselves? It is the SSDD. Same sh*t different day. I am, for lack of a better word, mortified that now that they shoe is on the other foot Democrats are losing their minds. There are actual issues to address. People need to use their intellectual energy on real issues and stop talking about "StarLink Gate". My head hurts.
I think the common people are always going to latch on to shit like this. As long as it's not the party leadership or any other elected officials it doesn't bother me much.
Welcome to a new USA. Candidate quality is critical. We are getting what 49% of the country asked for. And if you don’t believe this, Sharon has tirelessly tried to share and explain Project 2025 and its components this past year. Thank you for all that you do Sharon.
I am not one for conspiracies, however I will say that there are some things that make wonder. Do I hate that I even for a moment considered it, yes! I have worked in Technology for 25 years. For those of you that aren’t familiar - here are two links that at minimum give you details on the perspective for some who may believe it.
It's maddening that Trump, Vance, and various GOP congress members still won't admit that Trump lost in 2020, but now they suddenly believe our elections are fair and free. I'm glad that Kamala had the grace to concede, and not stir up or embolden these theories.
I can’t believe you had to write this article..
thank you for all you do Sharon!
I’m not convinced she did need to write this article… There are always, and have always been, the “crazies” who will believe whatever theory they want. In 2020, the “crazies” just happened to be in the White House and convinced half the country the election was stolen. That did not happen this year, and while the “BlueAnon” theories will get air time (like this article), it’s not because it’s a serious concern. It’s getting airtime because well-meaning writers are trying to both-sides their concerns.
The best I can hope for this article is that Repubs who bought into election lies in 2020 will read this and realize how crazy their own election lies were. But the worst case scenario is that articles like this will allow Repubs to entrench themselves in their theories by believing it happens on both sides and there’s nothing wrong with it.
I voted Trump and do not believe at all that the election was stolen in 2020. So I'm not sure what you mean by the 'crazies' convinced half the country. I actually don't know of anyone personally who believed it was stolen, including some staunch Republicans. I think it is a crazy and unfounded conspiracy theory.
Your personal experience does not define the country as a whole. Per a May 2023 Monmouth poll, fully 30% of the U.S. population still believes the 2020 election was stolen. (Is that half, no - I rounded up to make a point, and you can consider this post a correction).
If you don't believe the 2020 election was stolen, how do you account for Trump's actions from Nov 5 - Jan 6, 2020 (and indeed for the following four years when he refused to concede)? Was Trump just lying and attempting to stay in office despite losing? And if he was just lying and attempting to thwart constitutional requirements that he leave office, how do you justify voting for him again? (Please understand I'm not trying to be rude or offensive here - I'm genuinely curious to understand how people who believe 2020 was legitimate can also vote for a man who tried to overturn the results.)
Put another way, per the May 2023 Monmouth poll you cite, fully 70% of the population *does not believe* the 2020 election was stolen. Trump didn't overturn the results. Whether or not he wanted to, he didn't. And I voted for Biden in 2020, but not this time. Trump left office when he was supposed to, and Biden was inaugurated in January 2021. I know it's hard for many on the left to understand "how people who believe 2020 was legitimate can also vote for a man who tried to overturn the results." And yet here we are, four years later, with Republicans *sweeping* the Senate, the House, and the Presidency. There is a tremendous amount of reporting and analysis on why the Dems lost this election. I don't think Sharon will do a Preamble on that (I wish she would summarize the analysis, even if just as food for thought).
"Sweeping" is not how I would frame gaining 4 Senate Seats, losing 4 House seats (thereby maintaining the absolute slimmest of majorities), and the Presidential candidate getting just under 50% of the popular vote. I only point that out because the framing of this election - by Trump and other GOP politicians and pundits - as some kind of national mandate or referendum is just a distortion, and that would be just as true if Harris and the Democrats did the same numbers and were making the same claims. Trump and the GOP won very, very narrowly.
I would love for Sharon to discuss the post-election analysis, because I think there are a lot of interesting theories to consider: anti-incumbent sentiment, siloed information ecosystems, deeply personal feelings about the economy, the movement behind RFK Jr. The mistake that Trump is making (intentionally or not) is assuming that the 29% of the adults in America that voted for him did so with the same intent and actively support all of his policies. The mixed tickets for Trump & down-ballot Democrat candidates and policies alone would suggest that's not true.
Flipping the statistic does not actually make me feel any better. The fact that Trump was able to convince 30% of US citizens of a lie he sold is deeply concerning. His being forced to leave office doesn’t remove the danger that he tried to stay. He was only successfully ousted because Pence had the wherewithal to refuse to obey Trump, and Trump now requires loyalty so that he won’t have a Pence denial again. I’d suggest you read Oath and Honor or watch the Jan 6 hearings again if you can so easily dismiss the danger that was actually present during Trump’s forced dismissal from office.
I'd suggest you exit the echo chamber and mingle - in person - with people who don't vote the way you do. People who don't vote the way you do are Black, Asian, Hispanic, Bi/multiracial, Asian, Native, White (all races and ethnicities). They hold many college degrees and no college degrees. They are gay, trans, straight, queer. They are men and women. They are Gen Z, and Millenials, and Gen X and Boomers. They are pro-life and pro-choice. They are deeply religious and vocally atheist. They are teachers and baristas and doctors and mechanics and farmers and business owners and landscapers and fast food workers and students and lawyers and bank tellers. They live in rural, suburban and urban areas. Being breathless with contempt for fellow Americans is not the way forward. I didn't vote for Trump, by the way.
Maybe next time she asks what we would like her to write about, suggest the topic.
I would love to see an analysis like that as well from her.
I would too. I greatly appreciate that Sharon presents factual information. Unfortunately (especially lately) she only chooses to present facts that support one opinion. She presents them in a way that clearly push others to have the same opinions as her. I still love many things about her and this space and her IG but she is not a source of unbiased news or information.
Your last comment seems to be a bit of a dig. Sharon tells it like it is good, bad & ugly.
It wasn't meant as a dig. It was meant as a statement: I don't think Sharon will do a Preamble on the reporting and analysis of why Dems lost. It seems like you read it as if I said, "But Sharon won't do a Preamble on THAT now will she???" Not my intention. Hope this clears that up.
It's not something I would want to expand on in this setting. I voted for him for many reasons but how he behaved after the 2020 election definitely changed my opinion of him. He wouldn't have been my first choice for President, but I strongly believe he was the better choice.
I had friends I knew from high school last election posting 2020 election fraud articles. On the other hand I also have a few family members saying they thought maybe this election was stolen. There’s this idea that these “crazy” ideas are only found within the living in the basement type people. But some people who truly fall into this line of thinking have normal 9-5 jobs and kids and spouses and live fairly normal lives. I think it’s bc we as a society have gotten more entrenched into echo chambers that just support the facts we want to hear.
Yeah I definitely think there's something to be said for how far and wide these theories have spread on the left vs. what they did on the right in 2020.
It strikes me the article does what all of Sharon's articles do among those I have had time to read (I'm a recent subscriber). It displays common sense and clarifies an issue that is a major target for distortion in our communication space. Among the many things we have seriously damaged in America in recent years--and it is beyond troubling--is trust. We spend way too much energy doubting and discrediting each other, our institutions, our public servants, our very rationale for being this particular Nation among the family of nations. And that is just an initial counting of the manifestations of distrust that haunts us. Once lost, trust is immensely difficult to recover, especially in a society as diverse and complex as ours. I am sure most of us on this thread value Sharon's efforts to clarify and educate, where so many voices seek to confuse us by distorting reality. We have dug a deep hole for ourselves and getting out of it isn't going to be easy. It is communities of Americans like this one that gives me hope that the endeavor will succeed, however long it takes. The next four years will offer a stress test like no other in recent years. We have a lot of work to do, and Sharon's is one of the voices that will help us get it done.
Consider me grateful.
This is wild. I am left-leaning and am also on TiKTok and I haven't come across any of these conspiracy theories. I'm not happy Trump won, but I trust our electoral process. (Facts don't require our approval!)
I hadn't heard any of it until I was in New orleans and someone working at a shop brought it up! I was like no. Nooo, don't say that shit.
Reddit is exploding with these types of posts… ugh. I need to reduce my usage over there haha. Substack is where it’s at!
I have scaled way back on ALL the social media since the election. I prefer to process it without help from others haha
Substack is exactly where I heard one theory explained in detail.
Substack has a whoooole lot of dark corners, including ones that are spreading these claims - thankfully, it's been easy to just mute those accounts and move on.
Yikesssssss
Sharon, I love your theory that easier voting = more voting. As a hard-working member of the League of Women Voters, I totally support making voting easier. However, I wonder if another thing that may have influenced lower voter turnout (despite all of our efforts) is that both candidates were not incumbents in ‘20, had no presidential records, and voters were able to project their hopes (however unreasonable) onto them. Whereas, in ‘24, T had already served, and as VP, H (however unfairly) was perceived as an extension of the B administration in which she served. Therefore, they were both known quantities, and people could not project their hopes onto them, and make them into their “dream candidate” in the same way. Short story: fantasy excites -reality bites.
I need to add a correction!
It has been brought to my attention that Trump was absolutely an incumbent in 2020. I apologize for the mistake, and appreciate the help setting it straight.
Trump was absolutely an incumbent in 2020.
Yes, you are right. Thank you for that correction. I apologize for my mistake.
I agree there wasn't election fraud. But there were shenanigans in the form of foreign influence and voter roll purging. There was plenty to be concerned about, but not necessarily at the polls. Dark money, disenfranchisement, and disinformation/influence campaigns by our global enemies is more than enough to worry about without blaming the voting process.
Thanks for the great article. I didn’t even know some of these conspiracies existed.
Yes. It makes me sad that it is true, but no group is immune from “fringe.” However, let’s not make the cynical mistake of “both sides do it.” That would be a false equivalency. The difference? One group embraces and amplifies theirs.
They are absolutely equally as misleading. I believe it's cynical to think that one side is "better" or less damaging than the other.
Amy, yes, all unfounded conspiracies are misleading. However, a candidate and their entire party lying about a stolen election is more damaging.
Similar to the 2016 Election conspiracies about Russian interference? Conspiracy theories aren't new nor is one side better than the other. It's thanks to people like Sharon who take time to debunk them and keep us all sane.
It is easily provable that the Trump 2020 election lies are more insidious than any other election lie theories from past elections. Exhibit 1 is January 6th. Exhibit 2 is the fact that the only people still talking about supposed 2016 concerns are Republicans (who won that year). Does “stuff” happen on both sides? Obviously. Is that “stuff” equally as damaging? Not by a long shot.
100% - both sides are NOT equal. The constant lies coming from T are all the evidence you need. "When did Kamala turn Black?".
In no, way, shape or form was Russian interference in our elections, especially in 2016, 2020 and 2024, ever debunked by anyone credible, certainly not Sharon McMahon. In fact, U.S. and allied intelligence agencies and law enforcement have found vast evidence of such interference. Trump calling it a hoax, like he labels climate change and everything else he doesn’t like, has no validity whatsoever.
This. No one has debunked Russian interference because IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED lol
Amy, respectfully, one party has claimed the 2020 election was stolen/rigged and one has not. Several prominent Republicans, including the president-elect himself, still push this conspiracy theory, publicly. It led to the insurrection at the Capitol. I don't see the Democrats doing this currently - do you? Just because conspiracy theories exist on both sides, does not mean both sides are handling it the same way.
It is an awful conspiracy but there is an arrogance amongst some Democrats that think their party is morally above Republicans. That is not the case and we should all apply critical thinking skills to conspiracy theories - no matter which side they come from.
Thank you for commenting, Amy.
Thank you Tammy. :)
Texas is a state that immediately took action after 2020 to further restrict voting so the stage was set to make it even more difficult going forward for any Democrat to succeed here. It's also managed to get away with gerrymandering on an epic scale. Now that Republicans will control all levers of government there is no chance of passing any national legislation to address these issues. The Republicans are playing 3 dimensional chess while Democrats play checkers.
I’m from Texas as well which might be why some of these people who are like “I don’t know anyone who believes conspiracy theories” make my jaw drop. Come down here to the Buckle on the Bible Belt because we’ve got whackos in droves!!! But also makes me realize that the flavor of evangelical here simply went full-on nut job. It’s an aspect that not every place else experiences.
What actions were taken to make it harder to vote? I’m not from TX and am not aware.
thank you for your article. Could you please clarify something? You wrote that both candidates received less votes as compared to 2020 but Trump actually did receive more votes in 2024 ,76.5 million as compared to 74.2 million that he received in 2020. Voter turn out as you stated was down by about 5 million voters which could explain why Harris did not fair as well as Biden.
My interpretation of this was that she meant the 2024 winner received fewer votes than the 2020 winner, just as the 2024 loser received fewer votes than the corresponding 2020.
Ooooh, good catch! I think that makes sense, even if it wasn't clearly worded.
That may be what she meant, but she stated "both parties received fewer votes in 2024 than they did in 2020." She did not state the loser had less and the winners had less. I think it needs an explanation or correction.
just goes to show how things can be interpreted differently. Thanks for your perspective
I noticed the same and commented that a correction is needed.
I was going to post this question as well. Trump did get more votes in 2024 than in 2020.
"Now, two weeks later, Kamala Harris’s vote total is 73.8 million and Donald Trump is at 76.5 million. Four years ago, Biden got 81.2 million and Trump got 74.2 million votes. So overall, both parties received fewer votes in 2024 than they did in 2020."
Correction needed. Trump got ~2 million more votes in 2024 than he did in 2020!
Yes, I was going to ask/state the same! Thought I was going crazy with the numbers. ha ha
Do I think there was election fraud? No. I trust our electoral systems. However I do believe that an aggressive disinformation campaign was run by Elon Musk, and funded by dark money. Do both sides do it? Yes. Do the Rs do it way more? Yes I think so. I did not get this information from some liberal corner of the internet, but from the Washington Post. And Jeff Bezos was no great promoter of Biden nor Harris.
Are ballots still being counted? Not re-count, but regular count. My mail in ballot status still says “received” and I just checked again and has not yet moved to “counted.” I’m in MD (which is not a swing state so would not change any electoral count, but still seems odd…). I know I could check w my state board too…
I would definitely suggest you check in with your state. Ballots are still being counted in several places across the country, including in MD (the NYTimes tracker indicates MD's count status as >95% counted), but they should be close to finished, and it's worthwhile to check in before things are fully complete.
How is 74,222,958 million votes for Trump in 2020 more than the 76.5 million he received in 2024?
This entire segment is not factually accurate.
"Now, two weeks later, Kamala Harris’s vote total is 73.8 million and Donald Trump is at 76.5 million. Four years ago, Biden got 81.2 million and Trump got 74.2 million votes. So overall, both parties received fewer votes in 2024 than they did in 2020."
Also, an update on the Pennsylvania recount which was public knowledge yesterday:
"In an opinion filed Monday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that ballots that failed to arrive with a correct handwritten date on the return envelope, and thereby failed to comply with the requirements of the state election code, would not be included in the final vote tally in the race between Senator Bob Casey and his Republican opponent, Dave McCormick."
And this: "After the 2020 election, laws were changed to make it more difficult to vote again." Pennsylvania in 2020, the state election election code committee changed election laws without legislation (which many assert was illegal), and since then the state (with a democrat governor),has reinforced the laws on the books, with regard to late mail in ballots and signatures. Georgia has made it easier to vote since 2020 and have had more, not fewer, people vote in 2022 and 2024.
You say some states have made it harder to vote without any data to back that statement up. We are supposed to just trust you? How can we trust anything you write about when me, a nobody, is fact checking you?
If you're going to "fact check" you should include your sources.
I honestly can't believe that after 4 years - 4 YEARS - of talking about how ridiculous claims of election fraud were this is happening. Can't people hear themselves? It is the SSDD. Same sh*t different day. I am, for lack of a better word, mortified that now that they shoe is on the other foot Democrats are losing their minds. There are actual issues to address. People need to use their intellectual energy on real issues and stop talking about "StarLink Gate". My head hurts.
I think the common people are always going to latch on to shit like this. As long as it's not the party leadership or any other elected officials it doesn't bother me much.
Welcome to a new USA. Candidate quality is critical. We are getting what 49% of the country asked for. And if you don’t believe this, Sharon has tirelessly tried to share and explain Project 2025 and its components this past year. Thank you for all that you do Sharon.
I am not one for conspiracies, however I will say that there are some things that make wonder. Do I hate that I even for a moment considered it, yes! I have worked in Technology for 25 years. For those of you that aren’t familiar - here are two links that at minimum give you details on the perspective for some who may believe it.
First, from a group of computer science and other professionals https://freespeechforpeople.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/letter-to-vp-harris-111324.pdf
Second, one tech expert that has working in hacking and counter hacking. https://substack.com/home/post/p-151721941