Election Denial in the 2024 Presidential Race

In our decentralized American system, Presidents don’t oversee elections. That power falls to the states. Yet Presidents make decisions every day that can strengthen or weaken American democracy. 

They have a say in the federal budget, which includes funding for election administration and security. They sign or veto legislation that protects the civil rights of voters and determines some federal election procedures. Presidents appoint federal judges, who hear cases about fair representation and access to the ballot box. They also appoint federal officials—such as the Attorney General and the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division—who oversee enforcement of the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act.

In addition, Presidents have the ultimate public platform. They can use it as a bullhorn for democracy—upholding our cherished traditions, celebrating our election officials and election workers, defending the will of the people. Or, as we saw unfold in 2020, they can use that platform to promote election lies, tear at the foundations of our elections, and foment political violence. Every current and future President—and presidential candidate—will play a critical role in shaping public trust in elections and defining how the American people (and the world) see our democracy.

Vice Presidents have a powerful platform of their own to uplift our democracy. They also preside over the joint session of Congress that opens and counts electoral votes after each Presidential election. (This power is strictly ministerial. Vice Presidents do not have the authority to accept or reject electors.) And Vice Presidents cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate, including on the nominations of federal judges who may hear election cases.

The 2024 election offers a stark choice between a pro-democracy future and election denial that’s stuck in the past. That difference shows up in races across the country, and it’s especially true in the race at the top of the ballot.

Throughout the campaign, former President Trump has recycled lies about the 2020 election and attacked Republicans who stood up to his plot to steal it. Vice President Harris has vowed to protect the freedom to vote, and she has worked to remove barriers to voting during her time in office.

Turning to the Vice Presidential race, Sen. JD Vance, an Election Denier, has said there was “large-scale” illegal voting in 2020. That is false. He’s also suggested he wouldn’t have certified the election. His opponent, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has strengthened voting protections in his state, including signing a law barring intimidation of voters or poll workers.