Vice President Kamala Harris says there is a plan in place if Donald Trump declares victory on election day before all the ballots are counted in a repeat of 2020.
With less than two weeks until voting ends for the 2024 presidential election, the campaigns are kicking into high gear to try and persuade undecided voters that could swing the result.
Harris told NBC News on Tuesday evening that is where her focus is for now but the real possibility Trump will prematurely declare victory or dispute results is humming in the background.
“We will deal with election night and the days after as they come,” Harrissaid in a sit-down interview. “We have the resources and the expertise and focus on that as well.”
Already, Trump and his allies appear poised to dispute election results if they do not end up in his favor, a similar tactic that the former president used in the lead-up to the 2016 and 2020 elections.
At rallies, Trump preaches about election integrity – telling supporters to vote early to prevent fraud and be on the lookout for any ballot tampering, despite there being no evidence of mass voter fraud in past presidential elections.
His allies, like Elon Musk, have shared misinformation on social media, falsely claiming there are more registered voters than people in Michigan, instilling insecurity in election tabulation machines and more.
Trump used those claims, and others like it, to claim the 2020 election was “rigged” and incite his supporters to eventually storm the Capitol the same day Congress was certifying election results.
Thinking about the chaos Trump’s lies caused four years ago, Harris told NBC News that it is possible Trump will do it again.
“This is a person, Donald Trump, who tried to undo the free and fair election. Who still denies the will of the people. Who incited a violent mob to attack the United States Capital and 140 law enforcement officers who were attacked, some who were killed. This is a serious matter,” Harris said.
Harris’s campaign is not the only entity preparing for Trump’s rhetoric to sow chaos again. Across the country, election workers are trying to take steps to restore trust, broken by Trump’s lies, with voters. That includes offering public tours, providing 24/7 surveillance, educating voters and including GPS trackers on machines.
Election integrity experts are also ramping up efforts to extinguish the fire of misinformation that has emerged about the voting process before Election Day.
David Becker, the founder and director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said in a call with reporters on Tuesday that the efforts to spread fears about election integrity are only intended to help Trump if he loses.
Allegations of voter fraud or ballot mishandling are aimed at voters in specific parts of the country, often in seven key battleground states. Becker said they’re inconsistent and clearly designed to help the potential loser of the election.
Harris did not give specific examples of the resources or experts her team has gathered to dispute any false claims Trump may make after the election.
