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Fact Check: did dead people vote for joe biden

Fact Check: did dead people vote for joe biden

Published March 26, 2025
ByFactChecker 1.1 avatarFactChecker 1.1
✗
VERDICT
False

# Did Dead People Vote for Joe Biden? The claim that deceased individuals voted in the 2020 presidential election, particularly for Joe Biden, has ci...

Did Dead People Vote for Joe Biden?

The claim that deceased individuals voted in the 2020 presidential election, particularly for Joe Biden, has circulated widely, especially among supporters of former President Donald Trump. This assertion has raised questions about the integrity of the election process and has been the subject of various investigations and fact-checking efforts. This article examines the available evidence surrounding this claim without drawing a definitive conclusion.

What We Know

  1. Voter Fraud Claims: Claims of dead voters casting ballots have been made in several states, including Michigan and Arizona. In Michigan, there were allegations that thousands of votes were cast using the names of deceased individuals 35. However, investigations have shown that many of these claims were based on clerical errors rather than actual fraud.

  2. Arizona Investigation: An investigation by Arizona's Republican attorney general found only one instance of a dead voter among claims of 282 deceased individuals voting 2. This suggests that while claims were made, they were not substantiated by thorough reviews.

  3. Fact-Checking Reports: Various fact-checking organizations have examined these claims. For instance, FactCheck.org noted that allegations of widespread voting by deceased individuals often collapse upon closer inspection, with many cases being attributed to errors in voter registration 6. Similarly, PolitiFact reported that claims suggesting a significant portion of Biden's votes came from dead people are unfounded 9.

  4. Public Perception and Misinformation: The spread of misinformation regarding dead voters has been facilitated by social media and partisan narratives. A New York Times article highlighted how misinformation about dead voters in Michigan gained traction, despite being debunked by fact-checkers 5.

  5. Official Statements: Election officials across various states have consistently stated that the instances of deceased individuals voting are exceedingly rare. For example, a CNN report indicated that out of a sample of 50 alleged dead voters in Michigan, only five had actually voted, and all were alive 7.

Analysis

The sources cited provide a mix of investigative findings, official statements, and analyses from credible fact-checking organizations. Here's a critical assessment of their reliability:

  • Credibility of Sources: The BBC, CNN, and PBS are established news organizations known for their journalistic standards. Their reports are generally reliable, as they often rely on official data and expert opinions. In contrast, claims from partisan sources or those lacking transparency should be approached with skepticism.

  • Potential Bias: Some sources may have inherent biases based on their affiliations or the narratives they promote. For instance, reports that align closely with political agendas may selectively present data to support their claims.

  • Methodological Concerns: Many of the claims about dead voters stem from anecdotal evidence or isolated incidents rather than comprehensive studies. A more thorough investigation into voter registration databases and voting records would provide clearer insights into the prevalence of this issue.

  • Conflicts of Interest: Investigations led by partisan figures or organizations may have conflicts of interest that could influence their findings. For example, the Arizona attorney general's investigation was conducted under a Republican administration, which may affect the perceived impartiality of the results.

What Additional Information Would Be Helpful?

To further clarify the situation regarding claims of dead voters, additional information would be beneficial, including:

  • Comprehensive studies analyzing voter registration data across multiple states to determine the frequency of deceased individuals appearing on voter rolls.
  • Independent audits of election processes in contested states to assess the integrity of voting systems.
  • A deeper examination of the impact of misinformation on public perception of election integrity.

Conclusion

Verdict: False

The claim that deceased individuals voted in the 2020 presidential election, particularly for Joe Biden, is not supported by credible evidence. Investigations have shown that allegations of widespread voting by deceased individuals are largely based on clerical errors and misinformation rather than actual instances of fraud. For example, an investigation in Arizona found only one verified case among claims of 282 deceased voters, and fact-checking organizations have consistently debunked these claims.

It is important to note that while isolated incidents of deceased individuals appearing on voter rolls may occur, they do not indicate a systemic issue affecting the election's integrity. The evidence suggests that such occurrences are exceedingly rare and often result from administrative errors rather than intentional wrongdoing.

However, it is crucial to acknowledge the limitations of the available evidence. The investigations conducted have primarily focused on specific claims and may not encompass every possible instance across all states. Additionally, the influence of misinformation on public perception complicates the narrative surrounding this issue.

Readers are encouraged to critically evaluate information and consider the sources and context of claims related to election integrity. Misinformation can easily spread, and a careful examination of evidence is essential for forming informed opinions.

Sources

  1. US election 2020: Five viral vote claims fact-checked - BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54811410
  2. Arizona official refutes review that counted 282 dead voters - AP News https://apnews.com/article/elections-arizona-donald-trump-phoenix-government-and-politics-e11fb4726ee010e4d031a63acff939cd
  3. US Election 2020: The 'dead voters' in Michigan who are still alive - BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54874120
  4. Trump-commissioned report undercut his claims of dead - Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2023/03/17/trump-fraud-report-2020/
  5. How Claims of Dead Michigan Voters Spread Faster Than - New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/06/technology/false-dead-michigan-voter-claims.html
  6. Thin Allegations of 'Dead People' Voting - FactCheck.org https://www.factcheck.org/2020/11/thin-allegations-of-dead-people-voting/
  7. Claims that dead people voted went viral. These are the facts - CNN https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/08/tech/michigan-dead-voter-fact-debunking/index.html
  8. Exhaustive fact check finds little evidence of voter fraud, but - PBS https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/exhaustive-fact-check-finds-little-evidence-of-voter-fraud-but-2020s-big-lie-lives-on
  9. PolitiFact | No, dead people didn't cast half of Joe Biden's 2020 - PolitiFact https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/aug/26/viral-image/no-dead-people-didnt-cast-half-joe-bidens-2020-pre/
  10. Votes cast in the names of deceased people - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Votes_cast_in_the_names_of_deceased_people

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Fact Check: Autistic Non-Verbal Episodes in Marriage: Why Words Vanish Sometimes and What to Do About It Neurodiverse Couples Tuesday, august 12, 2025. Here’s the scene: You’re in the middle of a conversation with your spouse. Maybe the topic is small (“Did you pay the water bill?”) or monumental (“Are we happy?”). And then—without warning—your autistic partner’s voice disappears. No yelling, no slammed doors. Just… gone. You’re left holding the conversational steering wheel while they’ve quietly climbed into the trunk. If you’ve never lived with high-functioning autism, this can be tragically misconstrued as stonewalling or contempt. It isn’t. It’s just neurology pulling the emergency brake. Why This Happens: The Science Without the Lab Coat Smell For autistic adults, losing speech under stress is often a shutdown—a form of nervous system overload that knocks language production offline. Think of it like your phone freezing: all the apps are still there, but none of them open when you tap. Research calls this autistic burnout when it happens in a longer, chronic cycle—linked to masking (Hull et al., 2017; Raymaker et al., 2020). Masking is the art of “performing normal” so well that non-autistic people think you’re fine. The issue is that it eats through your energy reserves like a car idling in traffic with the A/C on full blast (Mantzalas et al., 2022). Eventually, one hard conversation can tip you from functional to frozen. And here’s where couples therapy meets neuroscience: physiological flooding—the body’s fight/flight/freeze switch—is a known relationship killer (Malik et al., 2019; Gottman Institute, 2024). In other words, for some autistic partners, flooding may tend to show up sooner, last longer, and is more likely to pull the plug on speech entirely. The Danger Loop in Marriage Autistic partner goes non-verbal — brain says “nope.” Non-autistic partner reads it as avoidance — brain says “attack.” Pressure increases — “Just say something.” Shutdown deepens — and now you’ve both lost. Do that a few hundred times and you’ll start conflating a physiological response into a moral failing. That’s the real marriage-killer. The Protocol: Three Phases, Zero Guesswork This is where we get practical. You can’t “love away” a temporary shutdown, but you can stop it from turning into World War III. Before: Build the Net Name the state. Agree on a phrase or signal ( I call this a couple code)—such as “words offline,” “shutdown,” a hand over the heart. The point is to make the invisible visible. The Shutdown Card. A literal card that says: I can’t speak right now. Please lower lights, reduce sound, give me X minutes. I promise I will circle back. The Pause Rule. Require a minimum of 20 minutes before resuming any tough talk. Autistic partner may need 90+. Agree ahead of time. Downgrade Kit. the usual gear; earplugs, soft light, weighted blanket, fidget, a quiet room. You know, human decency in object form. Reduce Daily Load. Avoid heavy talks right after work or big social events. Chronic overload makes a nervous shutdown more probable. During: Do Less, Better Autistic Partner: Give the signal. Exit stimulation. Switch channels if possible (text, notes app, yes/no cards). Send a short pre-written message: “Safe, can’t talk, back at 8:15.” Non-Autistic Partner: Acknowledge once—“Got it, I’m with you.” Hold the pause boundary. Lower stimuli. Go regulate your own nervous system—walk, journal, pet the dog. Don’t rehearse comebacks. Both: Avoid sarcasm, interrogation, ultimatums. Nothing lengthens a shutdown like moral outrage. After: Close the Loop Check in: “Are you ready to talk, or should we start in text?” Debrief: Identify triggers and what helped. Solve the actual problem. No conflict gets left to rot in the corner. Spot burnout early. If shutdowns start clustering, it’s time to reduce demands, not double them. How This Isn’t Stonewalling Stonewalling is a choice. Shutdown is a lockout. Stonewalling says, “I won’t talk to you.” Shutdown says, “I can’t talk to you yet, but I will.” The key difference? Repair intention. A shutdown protocol builds that right into the process. The Ten-Minute At-Home Drill Co-create your signal and card. Agree on a pause window. Pack the downgrade kit. Rehearse the exchange (“Got it, I’m with you.”). Check in weekly to tweak the system. Remember, you’re not aiming for zero shutdowns. You’re aiming for shorter, kinder, safer ones. Why This Works Because it matches lived autistic experience (Raymaker et al., 2020; Lewis et al., 2023). Because it honors nervous system limits instead of punishing them (Malik et al., 2019). Because it lets both partners keep their dignity and still solve the problem. In other words: you’re building a marriage that can survive the occasional moments when the words are gone for the time being. Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed. REFERENCES: Hull, L., Mandy, W., Lai, M.-C., Baron-Cohen, S., Allison, C., Smith, P., & Petrides, K. V. (2017). “Putting on my best normal”: Social camouflaging in adults with autism spectrum conditions. Autism, 21(5), 611–622. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361316671012 Raymaker, D. M., Teo, A. R., Steckler, N. A., Lentz, B., Scharer, M., Delos Santos, A., … & Nicolaidis, C. (2020). “Having all of your internal resources exhausted beyond measure and being left with no clean-up crew”: Defining autistic burnout. Autism in Adulthood, 2(2), 132–143. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2019.0079 Mantzalas, J., Richdale, A. L., Adikari, A., Lowe, J., & Dissanayake, C. (2022). What Is Autistic Burnout? A thematic analysis of posts on two online platforms. Autism in Adulthood, 4(1), 52–65. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2021.0079 Lewis, L. F., et al. (2023). The lived experience of meltdowns for autistic adults. Autism, 27(7), 1787–1799. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221145783 Malik, J., et al. (2019). Emotional flooding in response to negative affect in romantic relationships. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 18(4), 327–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332691.2019.1641188 Gottman Institute. (2024, March 4). Making sure emotional flooding doesn’t capsize your relationship. Retrieved from https://www.gottman.com/blog/making-sure-emotional-flooding-doesnt-capsize-your-relationship/

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Autistic Non-Verbal Episodes in Marriage: Why Words Vanish Sometimes and What to Do About It Neurodiverse Couples Tuesday, august 12, 2025. Here’s the scene: You’re in the middle of a conversation with your spouse. Maybe the topic is small (“Did you pay the water bill?”) or monumental (“Are we happy?”). And then—without warning—your autistic partner’s voice disappears. No yelling, no slammed doors. Just… gone. You’re left holding the conversational steering wheel while they’ve quietly climbed into the trunk. If you’ve never lived with high-functioning autism, this can be tragically misconstrued as stonewalling or contempt. It isn’t. It’s just neurology pulling the emergency brake. Why This Happens: The Science Without the Lab Coat Smell For autistic adults, losing speech under stress is often a shutdown—a form of nervous system overload that knocks language production offline. Think of it like your phone freezing: all the apps are still there, but none of them open when you tap. Research calls this autistic burnout when it happens in a longer, chronic cycle—linked to masking (Hull et al., 2017; Raymaker et al., 2020). Masking is the art of “performing normal” so well that non-autistic people think you’re fine. The issue is that it eats through your energy reserves like a car idling in traffic with the A/C on full blast (Mantzalas et al., 2022). Eventually, one hard conversation can tip you from functional to frozen. And here’s where couples therapy meets neuroscience: physiological flooding—the body’s fight/flight/freeze switch—is a known relationship killer (Malik et al., 2019; Gottman Institute, 2024). In other words, for some autistic partners, flooding may tend to show up sooner, last longer, and is more likely to pull the plug on speech entirely. The Danger Loop in Marriage Autistic partner goes non-verbal — brain says “nope.” Non-autistic partner reads it as avoidance — brain says “attack.” Pressure increases — “Just say something.” Shutdown deepens — and now you’ve both lost. Do that a few hundred times and you’ll start conflating a physiological response into a moral failing. That’s the real marriage-killer. The Protocol: Three Phases, Zero Guesswork This is where we get practical. You can’t “love away” a temporary shutdown, but you can stop it from turning into World War III. Before: Build the Net Name the state. Agree on a phrase or signal ( I call this a couple code)—such as “words offline,” “shutdown,” a hand over the heart. The point is to make the invisible visible. The Shutdown Card. A literal card that says: I can’t speak right now. Please lower lights, reduce sound, give me X minutes. I promise I will circle back. The Pause Rule. Require a minimum of 20 minutes before resuming any tough talk. Autistic partner may need 90+. Agree ahead of time. Downgrade Kit. the usual gear; earplugs, soft light, weighted blanket, fidget, a quiet room. You know, human decency in object form. Reduce Daily Load. Avoid heavy talks right after work or big social events. Chronic overload makes a nervous shutdown more probable. During: Do Less, Better Autistic Partner: Give the signal. Exit stimulation. Switch channels if possible (text, notes app, yes/no cards). Send a short pre-written message: “Safe, can’t talk, back at 8:15.” Non-Autistic Partner: Acknowledge once—“Got it, I’m with you.” Hold the pause boundary. Lower stimuli. Go regulate your own nervous system—walk, journal, pet the dog. Don’t rehearse comebacks. Both: Avoid sarcasm, interrogation, ultimatums. Nothing lengthens a shutdown like moral outrage. After: Close the Loop Check in: “Are you ready to talk, or should we start in text?” Debrief: Identify triggers and what helped. Solve the actual problem. No conflict gets left to rot in the corner. Spot burnout early. If shutdowns start clustering, it’s time to reduce demands, not double them. How This Isn’t Stonewalling Stonewalling is a choice. Shutdown is a lockout. Stonewalling says, “I won’t talk to you.” Shutdown says, “I can’t talk to you yet, but I will.” The key difference? Repair intention. A shutdown protocol builds that right into the process. The Ten-Minute At-Home Drill Co-create your signal and card. Agree on a pause window. Pack the downgrade kit. Rehearse the exchange (“Got it, I’m with you.”). Check in weekly to tweak the system. Remember, you’re not aiming for zero shutdowns. You’re aiming for shorter, kinder, safer ones. Why This Works Because it matches lived autistic experience (Raymaker et al., 2020; Lewis et al., 2023). Because it honors nervous system limits instead of punishing them (Malik et al., 2019). Because it lets both partners keep their dignity and still solve the problem. In other words: you’re building a marriage that can survive the occasional moments when the words are gone for the time being. Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed. REFERENCES: Hull, L., Mandy, W., Lai, M.-C., Baron-Cohen, S., Allison, C., Smith, P., & Petrides, K. V. (2017). “Putting on my best normal”: Social camouflaging in adults with autism spectrum conditions. Autism, 21(5), 611–622. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361316671012 Raymaker, D. M., Teo, A. R., Steckler, N. A., Lentz, B., Scharer, M., Delos Santos, A., … & Nicolaidis, C. (2020). “Having all of your internal resources exhausted beyond measure and being left with no clean-up crew”: Defining autistic burnout. Autism in Adulthood, 2(2), 132–143. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2019.0079 Mantzalas, J., Richdale, A. L., Adikari, A., Lowe, J., & Dissanayake, C. (2022). What Is Autistic Burnout? A thematic analysis of posts on two online platforms. Autism in Adulthood, 4(1), 52–65. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2021.0079 Lewis, L. F., et al. (2023). The lived experience of meltdowns for autistic adults. Autism, 27(7), 1787–1799. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221145783 Malik, J., et al. (2019). Emotional flooding in response to negative affect in romantic relationships. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 18(4), 327–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332691.2019.1641188 Gottman Institute. (2024, March 4). Making sure emotional flooding doesn’t capsize your relationship. Retrieved from https://www.gottman.com/blog/making-sure-emotional-flooding-doesnt-capsize-your-relationship/

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