Election subversion typically refers to meddling with the vote counting process (whereas voter suppression seeks to disrupt the vote casting process).. November 6, 2022.

Electoral fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...

is a form of illegal election subversion, whereas this article focuses on legal ways to subvert elections.

Avenues for election subversion

Question/deny legitimacy of election

This tactic to deny unfavorable results weakens the power of the winners through decreasing the number of citizens who find them legitimate, potentially leading to a breakdown in the rule of law as was seen on January 6, 2021 in the United States. These claims can also be used to try to justify the manipulation of election results in the courts or other bodies of power such as legislatures.

Intimidation and/or replacement of election officials

By major candidates calling into question the integrity of elections, the ensuing threats towards

election official An election official, election officer, election judge, election clerk, or poll worker is an official responsible for the proper and orderly voting at polling stations. Depending on the country or jurisdiction, election officials may be identified ...

s has lead to hundreds of resignations in the U.S. for example, leading to concerns of understaffing and some vacancies being filled by hyper-partisans interested in election subversion.

Disqualification of votes

Rules that make voting more difficult for some, for example, can become a

pretext A pretext (adj: pretextual) is an excuse to do something or say something that is not accurate. Pretexts may be based on a half-truth or developed in the context of a misleading fabrication. Pretexts have been used to conceal the true purpose or rat ...

for disqualifying votes, regardless of whether or not it justifies such a radical action.

The U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. Federal tribunals in the United States, federal court cases, and over Stat ...

heard a case that would pave the way for state legislatures to use pretexts to disqualify votes and send their own electors in lieu of the choice of that states' voters as early as

2024 Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1928 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ***''Steamboat Willie'', Walt Disney's fi ...

Election insecurity

The lack of

election security Election cybersecurity or election security refers to the protection of elections and voting infrastructure from cyberattack or cyber threat – including the tampering with or infiltration of voting machines and equipment, election office netwo ...

and transparency best-practices creates opportunities for compromised election systems/ballots by third-parties.

References