The Story of the Smooth 2024 Election
The 2024 general election, held amid a deeply polarized political environment, stands as a testament to the resilience of the United States’ democratic processes. Despite high political tensions, the recent normalization of fraud claims, and interference by foreign actors, the election went smoothly, and the population peacefully accepted the result. Effective precautions, quick responses by law enforcement and election officials, and a decisive result ensured a peaceful voting process.
Due to the hyperpolarized campaign environment, which included two assassination attempts, states enhanced security measures; 17 utilized the National Guard in some capacity. The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections also facilitated greater coordination between election officials and local law enforcement. The result was no major instances of political violence on or after Election Day.
This peaceful outcome partially stemmed from a major decrease in fraud claims. Like the 2020 election, the 2024 contest faced no significant threats to its integrity, but fewer allegations of electoral fraud emerged this time around, and those that did emerge garnered much less public traction.
One notable fraud accusation came as election night unfolded. President-elect Donald J. Trump alleged “massive cheating” in Philadelphia and even claimed that law enforcement was responding. Local officials quickly debunked the claims and reassured residents that voting was proceeding smoothly and without issue.
Another significant allegation of fraud surfaced after the election. A widely circulated chart on social media used data from the 2024 election to suggest that President Joe Biden had been the beneficiary of 20 million manufactured votes in the 2020 contest.
However, the chart is misleading in a number of ways, the most critical being that it takes into account only the votes that had been counted up to the early hours of Nov. 6. Millions of votes across multiple states had yet to be counted at that time, most notably California, where the state’s slow vote-by-mail system took days to complete. With virtually all of the votes now accounted for, data from the University of Florida’s Election Lab shows that, overall, voter turnout fell only slightly from 66 percent in 2020 to 64 percent in 2024, with just under 4 million fewer votes having been cast in this election cycle. This decrease constitutes a normal variation, and both elections still boast a turnout higher than any U.S. election since 1908. Ultimately, nothing about the data supports claims of election malfeasance in 2024 or 2020.
Finally, U.S. election infrastructure proved resilient to foreign interference. China, Iran, and Russia all engaged in efforts to disrupt the election by spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories designed to undermine trust in the process and the results. As the election approached, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified several falsified videos, likely produced by Russian agents, that purported to show officials rigging the election or falsifying the vote count. These videos garnered little public attention.
Foreign actors also made use of artificial intelligence (AI) to spread false narratives, but broad public awareness of AI threats, detection methods, and the decisive nature of the election outcome resulted in the successful mitigation of AI attacks. On Election Day, polling stations in several swing states received fake bomb threats of Russian origin. The FBI quickly flagged these threats, and local law enforcement promptly investigated and dispelled them, allowing voting to resume with minimal disruption.
The peaceful conclusion of the 2024 general election highlights the importance of vigilance, transparency, and collaboration in safeguarding democracy. By countering misinformation, addressing allegations of fraud in real time, and fortifying election security, law enforcement and elections officials successfully guided the country to a safe harbor. Ultimately, the success of the 2024 election demonstrates the resilience of American democratic institutions and offers valuable lessons for future contests.