Election integrity continues to stir heated reactions across the United States, as seen recently when prominent election deniers directed outrage at Republican National Committee (RNC) co-chair Lara Trump. The daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump found herself in the crossfire after attempting to address concerns about a Michigan ballot count error. While she sought to clarify the incident, certain election conspiracy theorists remained unmoved, voicing their disbelief and frustration.
Michigan Voting System Error: What Happened?
In Michigan, a formatting error in the data export process led to initial confusion about ballot counts, temporarily sparking suspicions. The Michigan Secretary of State’s office clarified that the issue was purely technical, involving duplicate lines in the data report—not an actual over-counting of votes. According to the office’s statement, every voter had a single recorded vote, and the erroneous entries were promptly removed.
Despite the swift response and reassurance from Michigan’s Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, prominent election skeptic Matthew DePerno voiced skepticism. He claimed, without verified evidence, that over 160,000 extra ballots were found—a statement that CNN reported as factually incorrect. DePerno, a former GOP nominee and past subject of investigations for alleged tampering with voting equipment in 2020, was quick to dismiss official explanations, calling those who believed the correction was accurate “morons.”
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Lara Trump’s Attempt to Address False Claims
Lara Trump, one of the faces of the RNC, tried to dispel the rumors with a post on X (formerly Twitter), echoing the state’s official explanation. “It was a glitch in the system. These duplicates were not and WILL NOT BE COUNTED,” she assured. However, her statements failed to satisfy some skeptics, including the right-wing website The Gateway Pundit, which criticized her response, labeling it as “likely inaccurate.”
The Wider Issue of Election Disinformation
The latest backlash against Lara Trump underscores the challenge of countering misinformation in real-time. Ben Decker, CEO of the threat intelligence group Memetica, observed that debunking misinformation is particularly difficult once viral. According to Decker, disinformation following Election Day represents a growing threat, as initial claims tend to receive far more traction than later corrections.
