Fact or Myth: The Election System Is Rigged

October 24, 2024

AUBURN, Al - As the 2024 presidential election looms closer, citizens across the country must decide which candidate to vote for. However, many citizens must still decide whether to vote at all. 

Controversy surrounds the United States election system, specifically following the 2020 election. Accusations of a “stolen” election in 2020 left people wondering if widespread corruption is possible. Auburn University senior Olivia Robinson wonders the same. 

“This will be my first time voting in a presidential election,” Robinson said. “Honestly, I am not sure what to believe about our elections anymore.” 

Auburn University is actually on the forefront of election education, with Political Science Professor Dr. Mitchell Brown leading the cause. Dr. Brown also serves as the director of the Election Administration Initiative at Auburn. 

“The Election Administration Initiative is a graduate certification connected to our NPA program that works to educate and support election officials,” said Dr. Brown. 

The program is connected with the National Election Center, and for over 35 years, Auburn has served as its curriculum faculty. 

“Certainly it’s an aspect of what we do,” said Dr. Brown concerning election security. “For example, the initiative includes election law courses and teaches students how to engage in contingency planning if an emergency arises.” However, Dr. Brown believes that safety is not a topmost concern. 

“My sense is that we have a very secure election system,” said Dr. Brown. She explained how varying state rules and local level implementation serves as an advantage. “If you wanted to go in and hack the system, there are 8,000 election jurisdictions in the country. You would have to  coordinate enough to hack all those 8,000 jurisdictions.” 

“There is no real evidence of corruption despite all the attention that has been given to this,” she said. 

Despite Dr. Brown’s confidence, many voters, specifically younger voters, remain unconvinced. In a survey conducted among Auburn University undergraduate students, 63.6% of respondents believe there is widespread corruption in the U.S. voting system. 

“There are so many sources out there that say our elections are rigged, especially on Tik Tok. A lot of videos I have seen are really convincing that some corruption is happening,” Robinson said.

“I had to apply for an absentee ballot because I’m registered to vote in Jefferson county,” said Robinson. “That has worried me. A mail-in ballot seems really easy to forge or just throw away.” 

Alabama passed Senate Bill 1 (SB1) on March 19, 2024 to address voters’ concerns regarding absentee ballots. The bill makes pre-filling applications, submitting ballots other than one’s own, and submitting both absentee and in-person ballots a class C felony. 

Additionally, Dr. Brown explained that election officials are nonpartisan. “The election officials are engaged in neutral administrative practice, even those that are party elected,” she said. 

Still, according to the Auburn student survey, 81.8% of respondents believe poll workers are biased and change votes. 

Poll workers and election officials are essential to getting accurate election results, specifically due to their work after Election Day. 

“What happens is something called the Cadence period where election officials make sure that every ballot that was handed out is accounted for,” Dr. Brown said. 

In a process called “curing,” election officials determine which ballots should and should not be counted. They fix any problems with mail-in and provisional ballots. The election cannot be officially certified until after their work is completed. 

Because of their impact on election results, many election officials face threats and even violence from the public. 

“In addition to normal kinds of threats, people following election officials home, calling and making threats against them, there are also people sending fentanyl laced white powder to election offices in envelopes and bomb threats in some places,” said Dr. Brown. 

According to Dr. Brown, threats to election officials are just one of the dangerous consequences involved with voters’ lack of confidence in the election system. 

“If there is no confidence in the process in selecting who is in charge, our democracy is at risk fundamentally,” she said. 

The attack on the United States capitol on January 6, 2021 demonstrates how a distrustful environment can destroy peaceful transfers of power. The Auburn student survey reports that 81.8% of respondents do not believe the 2020 election results were accurate. 

Dr. Brown offers advice to students who distrust the election system. “Volunteer to be a poll worker,” she said. “Engage in the process, see how it works.” 

“I think it’s important because elections are the backbone of our democracy. Without them, we cannot stand.”