Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president in the 2024 election, is alleging, without evidence, that there has been widespread “cheating” during Pennsylvania’s early voting period — perhaps indicating that his campaign is planning to once again dispute the outcome of the election if he loses to Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump made the claim on his Truth Social website, urging his supporters to “REPORT CHEATING TO AUTHORITIES” and to demand that law enforcement “act NOW.”
“Pennsylvania is cheating, and getting caught, at large scale levels rarely seen before,” Trump wrote.
Trump did not specify what “cheating” was happening in the state, although loyalists to the former president are alleging that long lines and wait times at election sites in Pennsylvania — and lines for voting being cut off early each day — are resulting in Republican voters being disenfranchised.
The claims seem to be based on a mistake made at one voting site that has since been corrected. Local elections officials in Bucks County, where the miscommunication took place, rejected the notion that a widespread conspiracy against Republican voters was underway.
“Contrary to what is being depicted on social media, if you are in line by 5 p.m. for an on-demand mail-in ballot application, you will have the opportunity to submit your application for a mail-in ballot,” a social media account for the county government said.
The county added:
We are aware that, due to a miscommunication, individuals in line to apply for an on-demand mail-in ballot were briefly told they could not be accommodated. In fact, these voters were given the opportunity to submit mail-in ballot applications today.
Wait times at some voting locations have indeed been long, with some sites reporting delays of up to three hours. Those wait times are due to a Republican-passed state law in 2019 that requires “on-demand mail voting” longer than other states when it comes to early voting, as there are more steps for verification in person when a voter shows up early to cast their ballot.
Trump’s comments are the latest indication that he plans to contest the election results using false claims of election fraud should he lose — the same strategy he employed after losing the 2020 presidential election against Joe Biden. Trump’s other assertions of voter fraud during this election cycle have focused on claims that noncitizens are participating in some swing state’s elections — an occurrence that happens at a rate that is statistically insignificant, and that is caught in the rare instances it is attempted.
Fears that Trump may attempt to subvert the election results this year only grew after he gave a speech on Sunday evening at Madison Square Garden in New York City in which he alluded to secretive plans he has with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) after Election Day.
“I think with our little secret we’re going to do really well with the House, right? Our little secret is having a big impact,” Trump said. “He and I have a little secret — we will tell you what it is when the race is over.”
The comments from the ex-president, who faces federal charges relating to his attempts to illegally overturn the 2020 election, set off alarm bells for many Democrats and progressive voters, as Trump could try to subvert the election by having his Republican allies in Congress dispute legitimate election results during the Electoral College certification ceremony on January 6, 2025.
Trump could be helped by election deniers in other ways. A study from the Center for Media and Democracy, for example, found that over 100 election administrators across eight swing states were skeptical or denied the 2020 results outright nearly four years ago, indicating they may try to do so again this year.
“Our democracy’s firewalls held fast in 2020, but election deniers and MAGA extremists have spent the last four years infiltrating election administration and political party positions in order to disrupt and cast doubt on the 2024 election results,” read a statement from Arn Pearson, director of the Center for Media and Democracy, back in September.
Voters across the country are keenly aware that Trump may once again try to subvert the election. According to an ABC News/Ipsos poll from August, only 29 percent of voters believe Trump will accept the results even if he loses. Two-thirds of voters (67 percent) believe Trump won’t accept the outcome if Harris wins.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $104,000 in one-time donations and to add 1340 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy