Former President Donald Trump is once again alleging widespread election misconduct, but independent fact-checkers and election officials say his accusations about Tuesday's midterm elections are contradicted by the available evidence.
As Americans voted in closely contested congressional and gubernatorial races, Trump used his Truth Social platform to suggest that voting problems in several states were evidence of deliberate interference.
The allegations focused particularly on Arizona, Michigan, and the counting of ballots in closely contested states.
However, investigations by FactCheck.org, PolitiFact, and AFP have found that the incidents Trump cited involved technical problems, routine election procedures, or misleading interpretations of events rather than demonstrated fraud.
Arizona: A Printing Problem Becomes a Fraud Allegation
In Maricopa County, Arizona, ballot-printing problems prevented tabulation machines from reading some ballots at approximately one-quarter of the county's voting locations.
Trump quickly suggested that the difficulties were part of an effort to interfere with Republican voting.
In a video posted online, he urged supporters to remain in line, claiming election officials wanted to delay them.
But county officials explained that affected voters could use secure ballot boxes for later tabulation or cast ballots at other voting centers.
Republican county officials emphasized that voters were not being denied the opportunity to participate.
FactCheck.org reported Wednesday that the malfunction was real but that accusations of an organized effort to steal the election were unsupported.
Detroit: Trump's Claims Contradicted by Election Officials
Trump also targeted Detroit, Michigan, where an electronic pollbook problem temporarily caused confusion over absentee ballots.
He claimed that people arriving to vote were being told they had already voted.
Election officials explained that the problem involved ballot identification numbers incorrectly appearing as previously issued, not evidence that voters had already cast ballots.
Workers used established procedures to resolve the issue.
Michigan officials said eligible voters were able to cast their ballots.
PolitiFact rated Trump's allegation false.
Trump nevertheless called for protests, drawing criticism from officials concerned that misleading accusations could undermine confidence in the election.
Arizona and Nevada: Delayed Results Are Not Evidence of Cheating
Trump further suggested that slow vote counting in Arizona and Nevada was suspicious, alleging that election officials wanted additional time to manipulate results.
But election experts say the delays are consistent with established procedures.
States have different laws governing when mail ballots may be processed, how signatures are verified, and when results can be released.
In closely contested races, counting legitimate ballots can take days.
PolitiFact rejected the suggestion that slower counting itself demonstrates election fraud.
Fact-Checkers Challenge the Narrative
The allegations arrive amid an election in which Republicans had expected significant gains.
Rather than wait for investigations or official findings, Trump has repeatedly characterized ordinary election difficulties as evidence of misconduct.
Election administrators acknowledge that equipment failures and procedural errors can occur. They distinguish those problems from intentional manipulation of results.
The evidence available Wednesday does not establish the coordinated election fraud Trump has alleged.
His supporters argue that voting problems deserve scrutiny, a position election officials generally share. But scrutiny has not substantiated the former president's accusations.
Two years after Trump challenged the results of the 2020 presidential election, his latest claims are again placing election workers and routine ballot-counting procedures under political suspicion.
For now, the documented problems and Trump's allegations remain two very different things.