Fact Check: "2020 Election Was Stolen"
What We Know
The claim that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen has been widely circulated, particularly by supporters of former President Donald Trump. This assertion is primarily based on allegations of widespread voter fraud and irregularities. However, extensive investigations and fact-checking efforts have consistently debunked these claims.
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More Votes than Registered Voters: Trump and his team alleged that certain battleground states recorded more votes than registered voters. A specific claim focused on Michigan, where it was suggested that voter turnout exceeded 100%. Investigations revealed that the source of this claim was a document listing precincts in Minnesota, not Michigan, and that the turnout figures were incorrect (BBC).
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Unexplained Surges in Democrat Votes: Allegations of sudden surges in votes for Joe Biden were made, particularly in cities like Detroit. These claims were based on the timing of vote counts, which reflected the counting of large batches of mail-in ballots that predominantly favored Biden. Courts dismissed these allegations as lacking credibility (BBC).
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Votes Flipped from Trump to Biden: There were claims that voting machines flipped votes from Trump to Biden. However, no evidence was provided to support this assertion, and Dominion Voting Systems, the company involved, categorically denied these claims (BBC).
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Thousands of Dead People Voted: Claims that thousands of deceased individuals voted were investigated and found to be fundamentally flawed. While isolated incidents of deceased individuals voting have occurred in past elections, there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election (BBC).
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Claims of Voter Fraud on Social Media: In the aftermath of the election, social media was rife with allegations of voter fraud. However, these claims often stemmed from misinterpretations or exaggerations of isolated incidents, and were not supported by credible evidence (BBC).
Analysis
The reliability of the sources cited in support of the claim that the 2020 election was stolen is highly questionable. Many of the allegations have been thoroughly investigated and debunked by reputable media outlets and fact-checking organizations. For instance, the BBC's fact-checking report provides a detailed examination of the claims made by Trump's team, highlighting the lack of credible evidence and the misrepresentation of data (BBC).
Moreover, the claims of voter fraud have been consistently dismissed by courts across the country, where judges have ruled that the evidence presented was insufficient to support allegations of widespread fraud (BBC). The credibility of the sources making these claims, such as social media posts and statements from political figures, often lacks the rigorous scrutiny that traditional news organizations apply.
In contrast, investigations by non-partisan organizations and fact-checking entities have found no evidence to substantiate the widespread fraud claims. For example, a comprehensive review by AFP Fact Check confirmed that many of the allegations were based on misinformation and lacked factual support (AFP).
Conclusion
The claim that the 2020 election was stolen is False. Extensive investigations and fact-checking efforts have consistently shown that the allegations of widespread voter fraud are not supported by credible evidence. The claims have been debunked by reputable sources, and the judicial system has upheld the integrity of the election results. As such, the assertion that the election was stolen does not hold up to scrutiny.
