What the 2024 Election Results Say About Election Security

13 December, 2024

AUBURN, AL - The question over election security remains on the forefront of many American voters’ minds. The results of the 2024 Presidential Election have strengthened pre-existing questions and given rise to new ones. 

The main question is how did millions of votes supposedly disappear between 2020 and 2024. According to the Federal Election Commission, Former President Joe Biden won 81,283,501 votes in 2020 while Former President Donald Trump won 74,223,975 votes. 

In NBC News’ latest update, Vice President Kamala Harris has won only 74,701,810 votes in the 2024 election while Trump received 77,135,225 votes. These results indicate that approximately seven million votes disappeared from 2020 to 2024. 

James Dewberry, an Auburn University senior and first-time voter speculates on the results. 

“The numbers make me think that all the problems with the 2020 election made things more secure this go around,” Dewberry said. 

Dewberry’s opinion is not alone. In a survey of Auburn University students, 50% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the 2024 election proved the 2020 election was rigged. 

Despite many students’ beliefs, election security provisions have been in effect for decades, specifically in Auburn, Alabama. Auburn University’s partnership with the National Association of Election Officials, also known as the Election Center, began nearly 35 years ago. 

Dr. Mitchell Brown, the director of the Election Administration Initiative at Auburn, works with the program to provide professional training to election officials. 

Dr. Brown’s confidence in the United States election system has remained strong throughout her career. 

“The idea that there is widespread conspiracy among these people and the fact that there is no real evidence despite all the attention that has been given to this, I really think I would have heard of something,” Dr. Brown said. 

“What has become more clear is there are some people with a vested interest in making us less safe and less secure and less strong collectively as a nation, and one of the ways you do that is you sow discontent and discord about this.”

New efforts were made following 2020  to guarantee secure results in future presidential elections. Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act in 2022. 

According to Congress.gov, the bill strengthens the election system by providing contingencies for factors such as rouge governors, election official integrity issues, and politicians' roles in certifying results. 

These provisions are vital to the election system, as Dr. Brown explains the importance of the behind the scenes operations. 

“Audits, contests, and recounts happen if the margin is really close or if someone thinks something went wrong. There are even court cases,” she said. 

“All of that leads up to the final results, which has to be certified by the board of certifiers.” 

The Auburn University survey indicates that these congressional provisions were at least somewhat successful. Seventy-five percent of respondents strongly agree that the 2024 election was more secure than the 2020 election, and 75% strongly agree that the 2024 election results were accurate.

In a previous survey of Auburn University students, only 18.2% of respondents said they believe the 2020 election results were accurate. 

These results follow a national trend recorded by the Pew Research Center. As of this December, 88% of voters believe the 2024 election was run well or somewhat well. In 2020, only 59% of voters said the same. 

The Pew Research Center also highlighted a divide between Republican and Democratic voters. Partisan voters’ confidence either rose or fell depending on their candidates’ success. 

In 2024, 93% of Trump supporters believe that the election was run at least somewhat well while in 2020, this number was only 21%. On the other hand, Harris supporters’ confidence dropped from 94% in 2020 to 84% in 2024. 

The partisan divide and contradicting expert opinions leaves voters confused about which information to believe. 

“When you look at the news, it is overwhelming,” Dewberry said. “Some people say our elections are extremely secure, and other people say the entire system is corrupt.” 

The Auburn University survey reported that 50% of respondents agree that they are confused about what to believe regarding election security. 

Dr. Brown warns that this confusion can have dire consequences for our democracy.

“It is extremely dangerous,” she said. “The most powerful weapon against us is misinformation. If we cannot trust each other, how can we accomplish anything?” 

Election security is an ever-evolving issue with the United States, especially following the 2024 election, but one question remains the same. 

“We are only as strong as our elections,” Dr. Brown said. So, just how strong are we?