Fact Check: The 2020 election was stolen.

Fact Check: "The 2020 election was stolen."

What We Know

The claim that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen has been widely circulated, primarily by former President Donald Trump and his supporters. This assertion is based on various allegations of widespread voter fraud, including claims about voting machines switching votes, suspiciously high turnout in Democratic areas, and discrepancies in vote counts compared to registered voters. However, extensive investigations and analyses have consistently found no evidence supporting these claims.

A comprehensive review of statistical claims made by Trump and his allies concluded that none of the allegations were convincing. The authors of this study found that many supposed anomalies were either not factual or not anomalous when contextualized within historical voting patterns (Eggers et al.). For instance, the claim that Biden won a record number of votes while securing a low number of counties is explained by the concentration of Democratic support in populous urban areas, a trend observed in recent elections (Eggers et al.).

In addition, claims regarding voter turnout exceeding the number of registered voters have been debunked. For example, allegations of over 100% turnout in certain precincts were based on incorrect data and misinterpretations of voter registration figures (BBC). The actual turnout in these areas was below 100%, and similar claims about Detroit's turnout were also found to be misleading (BBC).

Analysis

The evidence presented to support the claim of a stolen election is largely based on misinformation and misinterpretation of data. For instance, the assertion that more votes were cast than registered voters has been thoroughly investigated and shown to be false. The claims often stem from misreported statistics or isolated incidents that do not reflect broader electoral trends (BBC, Eggers et al.).

Furthermore, the credibility of sources promoting the stolen election narrative is questionable. Many of these claims have been made by individuals or groups with a vested interest in undermining the election results, rather than independent analysts. For example, the allegations of voting machine malfunctions were based on anecdotal evidence and have been dismissed by election officials and independent audits (Eggers et al., PBS).

Legal challenges to the election results, which were numerous, have consistently failed in courts due to lack of evidence. Judges across various states have ruled against claims of fraud, reinforcing the conclusion that the election was conducted fairly (PBS, Wikipedia).

The persistence of the "stolen election" narrative can be attributed to a combination of misinformation, confirmation bias among supporters, and a lack of accountability for those spreading false claims (G. Pennycook et al.). This has led to a significant portion of the population believing in the false narrative despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Conclusion

The claim that the 2020 election was stolen is False. Extensive investigations, statistical analyses, and legal rulings have found no credible evidence of widespread voter fraud or irregularities that would have altered the outcome of the election. The assertions made by Trump and his supporters are based on misinformation and have been thoroughly debunked by credible sources.

Fact Check: The 2020 election was stolen.