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Articles on US elections

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Mail-in and absentee ballots, like these being processed by election workers in Pennsylvania, are a subject of misinformation spreading across social media. AP Photo/Matt Slocum

5 types of misinformation to watch out for while ballots are being counted – and after

Election misinformation typically involves false narratives of fraud that include out-of-context or otherwise misleading images and faulty statistics as purported evidence.
Trump falsely declaring a win in the early hours of Nov. 4, 2020, the day after the US election, as ballot counting continued in Pennsylvania and other battleground states. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

History tells us that a contested election won’t destroy American democracy

Five of the six disputed presidential elections in US history were resolved and the country moved on – but one ended in civil war. What will happen if the 2020 election is contested?
Will Donald Trump win again? History suggests it’s possible. The president pumps his fist after speaking at a campaign rally at Phoenix Goodyear Airport on Oct. 28, 2020, in Goodyear, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Why voter loyalty to incumbents could spell victory for Trump

Americans at the ballot box have historically adopted the adage: Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. Does that mean Trump will win a second term?
Ransomware attacks often strike local government computer systems, which poses a challenge for protecting elections. PRImageFactory/iStock via Getty Images

Ransomware can interfere with elections and fuel disinformation – basic cybersecurity precautions are key to minimizing the damage

A ransomware attack on election-related government computers in a Georgia county raises the specter of more disruptions for Election Day voting and vote tabulation.
Women like congressional candidate Cori Bush from Missouri face greater obstacles than white men when trying to reach political office. Getty Images for Supermajority

How ‘strategic’ bias keeps Americans from voting for women and candidates of color

Women and people of color continue to appear on ballots less often than white men, and that, in part, is due to concerns by American voters that others will not view these candidates as electable.
This combination of Sept. 29, 2020, file photos show President Donald Trump, left, and former Vice President Joe Biden during the first presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

20/20 vision needed in 2020: How this U.S. election compares to other tumultuous votes

The U.S. presidential election is again serving as a symptom and a symbol of a troubled society. Whatever the outcome, history suggests anything but a quick resolution to deeply rooted problems.
‘Portrait of a Woman of the Hofer Family,’ Swabian artist, c. 1470, and a picture showing a fly on U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence during the Oct. 7 debate at University of Utah in Salt Lake City. (Wikimedia Commons/AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Mike Pence’s fly: From Renaissance portraits to Salvador Dalí, artists used flies to make a point about appearances

Flies have long held symbolic meaning in the history of art. In portraits made in Renaissance Europe, the presence of a fly symbolizes the transience of human life.
With its largely white and older workers, this poll site in Maine is typical of poll sites across the U.S. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Poll workers on Election Day will be younger – and probably more diverse – due to COVID-19

An army of mostly older, white volunteers run America’s voting sites. They’re reluctant to work during a pandemic. So new recruits are signing up to run the polls, for better and for worse.
With rare exceptions, like the 2000 presidential election, the winning candidate usually declares victory on election night. But the win isn’t actually certified until January. ranklin McMahon/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Who formally declares the winner of the US presidential election?

No, it’s not the TV news networks. The American election certification process is a lot more complicated than that.

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