National: These Activists Distrust Voting Machines. Just Don’t Call Them Election Deniers. | Stuart A. Thompson/The New York Times
Election integrity advocates find themselves in a challenging position as they push for security while inadvertently amplifying claims made by conspiracy theorists. The overlap between their warnings about potential hacking of election machines and conspiracy theorists’ unfounded claims is a consequence of Trump’s false voter fraud allegations, leading to doubts about election integrity. Activists fear being associated with conspiracy theorists, hindering their efforts and eroding trust in the electoral system. The debate intensifies in New York as officials consider certifying machines by ES&S, a company targeted by Trump. Activists and experts express concerns about the machines’ cost, potential errors, and security, but caution against overblowing the hacking threat, emphasizing no evidence of hacking in the 2020 election. Read Article