The mass of allegations of election fraud circulating on social media has been set up by a network of groups that crowdsource the allegations.
Groups like Texas-based True The Vote, founded in 2009, have long been at the forefront of election security issues.
VoteAlert, a program developed by True the Vote, allows supporters to post examples of alleged election violations.
They have amassed a wide range of claims, from minor security breaches to allegations of deliberate vote-rigging. The organization also has people monitoring live cameras aimed at ballot boxes in a number of states. Many local officials have repeatedly described the steps they have taken to make the boxes safe.
“We hope we don’t see anything in those boxes,” True the Vote founder Kathryn Engelbrecht said during one of her recent regular online meetings for supporters.
But she also hinted that democratic groups intend to commit electoral fraud on a large scale.
“If they want to try to do what we’ve seen in 2020, they’re unlikely to get away with it because our eyes are literally everywhere,” she added.
The BBC has contacted True the Vote for comment.
A number of other groups are asking fans to report suspected abuse.
Elon Musk’s American Political Action Committee has created a message board-like community on X filled with rumors and accusations about the vote. With 50,000 members, several posts appear every minute, almost 24/7.
Other efforts include the Election Integrity Network, a group founded by a former Trump lawyer that challenges voter registration and recruits election observers — party observers who visit polling places.
The volume of posts on these platforms – along with the vagueness of some of the claims, with often anonymous sources – makes it virtually impossible to verify every claim.
Trump’s groups and campaign say the effort is solely to ensure the integrity of the vote. The BBC has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.
