By Nick Corasaniti and Jim Rutenberg
As the voting process began following months of divisive rhetoric surrounding it, the most alarming fears of a chaotic Election Day had not been realized by Tuesday afternoon, though misinformation was prevalent and officials stayed alert for potential issues later on.
Reports concerning polling place troubles on Tuesday morning were few, showing a blend of typical polling station glitches and newer foreign disinformation tactics.
These included bomb threats in Georgia, which state authorities promptly traced back to Russian email domains, yet they still caused a temporary closure of two polling sites.
Nevertheless, with the memories of the January 6, 2021, Capitol siege still vivid, voters in many areas of the country had to deal with bulletproof barriers and security fencing at polling sites. Many are also getting used to conservative activists searching for instances of rare fraud — an unsettling new standard for the nation’s democratic practices.
Four years earlier, the voting experience on Election Day also appeared to go relatively well, only to be followed by intense protests and former President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims of having won, which increased as the vote counting dragged on for days.
Similarly, this year, some of Trump’s backers have been conditioned to perceive fraud in the regular electoral process, and the day witnessed a barrage of false accusations of electoral misconduct on social media alongside bold assertions that Trump had already secured victory.
In such a climate, minor problems quickly became exaggerated. In Cambria County, Pennsylvania, a conservative area to the east of Pittsburgh, ballots could not be scanned by machines in the morning. The issue was ultimately fixed, and a court mandated that polling places across the county remain open for an additional two hours, until 10 p.m.
However, Trump supporters on Elon Musk’s platform, X, alleged that the issues were part of a scheme to disenfranchise voters in a location that heavily supported Trump four years ago.
The persistent worry that Trump might attempt to overturn the results again increased the anxiety felt by voters at polling stations in swing states, many of which were now equipped with panic buttons and police presence outside.
Eleanor Boyle, 77, from Warminster Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, expressed that while she trusted the electoral processes in Pennsylvania and nationally, the voting made her feel nervous and uneasy. She fears Trump’s supporters would not accept a defeat; she watched the January 6 chaos at the Capitol with horror.
“I’m very concerned that there could be violence across the entire country, not just at the Capitol,” remarked Boyle, known as Bunny. When she told her sewing group that she intended to volunteer at the polls, “people asked if I was scared — even here, in Warminster.”
Officials were on high alert. As District Attorney Larry Krasner of Philadelphia warned those considering causing trouble at polling stations, “F around and find out.” Yet this warning did not deter partisan observers from trying to document serial numbers on the backs of voting machines at a precinct in southwest Philadelphia, leading to the temporary removal of those individuals.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger conveyed a message to Russia regarding the bomb threats during a press briefing: “We’re not going to be intimidated.”
However, there was also a heightened level of scrutiny that led to claims of voter intimidation that turned out to be unfounded. For example, a report of conservative activists having “intimidated” voters outside a polling place in Lee County, North Carolina, actually involved a harsh remark overheard aimed at a Latino voting rights group present at the same site.
Dana Nessel, the Democratic attorney general of Michigan, stated that voting largely proceeded smoothly in her state on Tuesday, which was expected; she recollected that the 2020 Election Day in Michigan was mostly calm, and disputes only arose once the counting commenced. This year, she affirmed, poll workers, election officials, and law enforcement were all prepared for it.
“The crucial thing for me to convey to the public is that there will be accountability.”
Even after voting in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump criticized the election system while speaking to reporters, questioning the reliability of voting machines and reiterating his calls for a return to paper ballots. Again, he stated that he seemed to be on the winning side, although he also indicated that he would refrain from declaring victory prematurely as he did four years ago — unlike some trusted aides, including conservative provocateur Steve Bannon, who have encouraged him to do so again.
“If I lose an election, if it’s a fair election, I’ll be the first to acknowledge it,” he stated, “and I think it’s — well, so far, I believe it has been fair.”
