Tuesday, November 5

Why US election officials are running livestreams of ballot counting

Claims of voter fraud and ballot rigging have been echoed by Donald Trump and Republican supporters since the former president’s 2020 election defeat.
Four years on, election officials are determined history won’t repeat itself and the election be dogged by claims which were proven to be false.
In a bid for transparency, local governments across America – including those in key battleground states – are running livestreams of ballot processing.
Former President Donald Trump cast doubt over voting integrity after the 2020 US election. (Evan Vucci/AP)
Live video feeds of voting, counting and processing have been set up so voters can watch democracy in action.
It’s dull, tedious vision – but done in the hope results in won’t be challenged by allegations of corruption or intentional miscounting.
Livestreams of the ballot count aren’t a new facet of the US electoral system, however transparency became key following Trump’s election loss.
The Trump campaign cast a huge shadow over the integrity of voting and in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic made in-person observation difficult.
It varies from county to county, however election officials say the livestreams are made public so voters know their ballots are being counted correctly.
One livestream has been set up by Maricopa County in Arizona, a state with a traditionally Republican stronghold up until the 2020 election.
Viewers can watch streams from multiple camera angles at a ballot processing space in downtown Phoenix.
There are feeds of ballot processing, curing, counting and storing which anyone around the world can observe in real time.
Livestreaming of  2024 US election ballot counting in Arizona
Maricopa County in Arizona is livestreaming early voting. (Maricopa County)
Arizona’s state law requires counties to livestream elections, both local and national.
Chief program officer for the National Association of Elections Officials Tammy Patrick told AP the livestreams are a move towards transparency, but they aren’t the perfect solution to demystifying the election process.
“The more transparent we can be, the better off it is,” she said.
“When you are transparent, it does not mean that individuals will necessarily know what they’re seeing or understand what they’re seeing.”
Patrick said voters can contact local and state officials or sign up to be a poll worker to truly understand how the ballot count works.
Harris deploys celebrities across battleground states in final hours
“But you have to be willing to accept the facts and the truth,” she added.
Some poll workers have also added signs so viewers can understand exactly what’s happening on camera to avoid confusion.
Other key locations outside of Arizona have set up live streams, including Delaware County in Pennsylvania, Collin County in Texas and Kootenai County in Idaho.
Some locations don’t start streaming until election day kicks off on November 5 in the US.
Livestreaming of  2024 US election ballot counting in Arizona
It’s not thrilling vision but the live footage is set up to show transparancy in the voting process. (Maricopa County)

What has Trump said about voter fraud?

Trump made a bid to overturn the 2020 election following a tight race against President Joe Biden, claiming widespread voter fraud was the reason for the Republican loss.
On election day in 2020, Trump refused to concede the election and wanted the vote count to stop.
“This is a fraud on the American public. This is an embarrassment to our country,” he said.
“We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election. We all want voting to stop.”
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Atrium Health Amphitheater Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in Macon, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Trump made a bid to overturn the 2020 election with claims of voter fraud and cheatin. (AP)
The former president attempted to level 60 court cases of fraud in multiple states, however all were unsuccessful.
Trump also made claims in February that mail-in voting is “totally corrupt”.
He then said at a rally in Iowa that Democrats were “importing voters” to allow non-American citizens to vote.
During a speech on Friday in Michigan, Trump said Kamala Harris would only win thanks to “cheating”.
“If I lose – I’ll tell you what, it’s possible. Because they cheat. That’s the only way we’re gonna lose, because they cheat,” he said.
Harris’ election campaign rejected Trump’s recent claims of election fraud in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
A senior Harris campaign official told CNN the team was “monitoring voting around the country” and tracking any problems ahead of the US election.

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