# Who rigged the election? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [November 5, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504 "2026-11-05T17:59:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/21 "2026-11-05T19:59:04Z")
The remaining votes should be pretty blue so Peltola might very well hit 50% percent without RC. There are preliminary RC results available and they roughly go 60 to 40 for Sullivan (though fake Sullivan votes do go more to Peltola), so would only make a difference if the initial vote is really tight. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/22 "2026-11-05T20:11:39Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > The remaining votes should be pretty blue Really? It seems like there would be a lot of votes still trickling in from really remote areas. At least here in the lower 48, areas like that are deep red. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/23 "2026-11-05T20:14:13Z")
> [@Ancient\_Nerd](#): > > At least here in the lower 48, areas like that are deep red. Deep red voters tend to overwhelmingly vote in-person, because they’ve been told for years that mail-in ballots will get stolen by deep state operatives. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/24 "2026-11-05T20:16:21Z")
I’ve heard, no cite, that unlike the rest of the country, rural voters in Alaska tend to be more liberal. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/25 "2026-11-05T20:20:17Z")
I’m seeing that only 74% of Alaska ballots have been counted, that’s a lot outstanding for two days after election day. Has a count of second choices been released yet? Overall, the conspiracy concerns were quickly put to bed Tuesday night when John Ossoff smashed his opponent in Republican-administered Georgia about 45 minutes into the count. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/26 "2026-11-05T20:23:44Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > I’m seeing that only 74% of Alaska ballots have been counted, that’s a lot outstanding for two days after election day. A lot of areas are very remote, as in no roads. People travel a lot in small airplanes or by boat. You cannot even drive to the state capital. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/27 "2026-11-05T20:44:43Z")
A lot of it is early voting and mail in voting which leans left. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/28 "2026-11-05T20:50:24Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > ’m seeing that only 74% of Alaska ballots have been counted, that’s a lot outstanding for two days after election day. I’ve read that Alaska tends to count ballots that come in 10-15 days after, as long as they are postmarked by election day. There are a lot of voters living in remote areas and mail service isn’t anything like as regular as the lower 48. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/29 "2026-11-05T21:52:36Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I think polling showed a large number of Republicans in many states just stayed home. Maybe I’m wrong? > > They couldn’t vote Dem, but didn’t want to support the healthcare cutting, starting foreign wars, gas price raising and inflationary party with too many unethical people in it even by politician standards party. This is what I have been wondering since the results came in: how much was voter turnout (Democrats and independents turning out in record numbers and/or Republicans staying home) and how much was Republicans voting against their party. It may be too soon to have any real hard evidence, but I think that understanding this could well play into future strategies. For example, if a lot of Republicans voted D because their own candidates were so vile or so useless, it could encourage better, non-MAGA candidates on the R side in the future, which could encourage more Republican leaders who aren’t devoted MAGAs to take the party back. Trump is now a lame duck, he will not be on the ballot again, and any threat he makes to primary-out a disrespectful Republican incumbent will have no teeth. > [@chappachula](#): > > Is this silence a major sign that MAGA is weakening? That democracy is safe? Democracy is **never** safe. If we have learned nothing else, we should have learned that complacency is death to good government. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/30 "2026-11-05T22:13:45Z")
People can’t make accusations of rigging once the margin of victory is large beyond a certain point. That would be like a football team losing by 5 touchdowns then blaming the refs. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/31 "2026-11-05T22:14:14Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > This is what I have been wondering since the results came in: how much was voter turnout (Democrats and independents turning out in record numbers and/or Republicans staying home) and how much was Republicans voting against their party. It may be too soon to have any real hard evidence, but I think that understanding this could well play into future strategies. At least in Texas, it was a bit of both. In some districts, Republican voters didn’t turn out. In other districts, they still turned out but previously Republican voters flipped. And we already know some of that was the vileness of one candidate in particular (though he won statewide election three times before) and some of that was actual enthusiasm for some of the D candidates and some of that was due to Trump rather than the issues or the candidates. I also wonder what other insights a more detailed analysis will show. But we can already tell at least for the one state is that what worked this time wasn’t a one-size-fits-most state-wide strategy ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/32 "2026-11-05T22:22:08Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Democracy is **never** safe. If we have learned nothing else, we should have learned that complacency is death to good government. > “It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.” – _John Philpot Curran, 1790_ Still true 236 years later. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/33 "2026-11-05T22:49:36Z")
Around here, someone must have paid **thousands** of Republican voters to stay home. My Missouri 2nd Congressional district has been safely Repiublican for more than 30 years. This year the Dems considered it gettable, although a real stretch. Sure enough, a Democrat knocked out the incumbent, who was seeking her eighth term. But despite a ballot full of hot-button issues, including abortion and redistricting, 95,000 _fewer_ voters turned out than in 2024, and only 16,000 more than in the relatively dull 2022 midterm. In fact, this year’s Democratic winner got 29,000 fewer votes than 2024’s Democratic loser. The Republican incumbent got 80,000 fewer votes than in 2024. Democrats mostly turned out. Republicans didn’t. That’s the real story. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/34 "2026-11-06T13:23:42Z")
$5001? OK, I’ll bite. What’s the $1 for? A tip? ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/35 "2026-11-06T13:29:59Z")
If it had only been $5000 he may as well have gone with Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/36 "2026-11-06T13:33:12Z")
Exactly. Think of all you could do with that extra dollar. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/37 "2026-11-06T13:54:58Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > There were at least 2 troubling incidents in the Cleveland area as noted by Reddit posters in that sub. In one case a person selected a Democratic candidate and when they went to the next page the vote was flipped to the Republican candidate. Confirmed by a poll worker who shut down the machine. > > The 2nd case was worse. When the voter reviewed their complete slate before saving it ALL Democratic votes had been removed but no Republicans to replace the. Also confirmed by a poll worker. When was this because in Cleveland, we use paper ballots at all polling locations, AFAIK. I haven’t seen an electronic ballot in over a decade. The paper ballots are scanned and collected electronically, but they don’t display your selections. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/38 "2026-11-06T14:18:23Z")
I was a bit surprised we didn’t see the FBI, ICE, or any other organized effort to intimidate people at the polls. Trump and his cronies were awfully cagey when it came to answering questions about the involvement of law enforcement at the polls this year. I was initially surprised I didn’t hear “stop the steal,” but the Republicans were disillusioned, and therefore unmotivated, and when you take a beating that bad it’s hard to believe it’s fraud. A MAGA aquaintance of mine in Texas suggested the mid-terms were the result of people moving there from places like California and voting to make it like the place they left. I asked him if it was possible a lot of native Texans were simply upset that the Republicans deliberately wrecked the economy but I haven’t gotten a reply. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/39 "2026-11-06T14:23:47Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > A MAGA aquaintance of mine in Texas suggested the mid-terms were the result of people moving there from places like California and voting to make it like the place they left. It was rural areas that either flipped or people didn’t show up. The suburbs were already blue/purple. Ex-pats from California aren’t moving to the boonies. They’re moving to the urban areas, mainly the suburbs. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504/40 "2026-11-06T14:44:14Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > > [@mixdenny](#): > > > > There were at least 2 troubling incidents in the Cleveland area as noted by Reddit posters in that sub. In one case a person selected a Democratic candidate and when they went to the next page the vote was flipped to the Republican candidate. Confirmed by a poll worker who shut down the machine. > > > > The 2nd case was worse. When the voter reviewed their complete slate before saving it ALL Democratic votes had been removed but no Republicans to replace the. Also confirmed by a poll worker. > > When was this because in Cleveland, we use paper ballots at all polling locations, AFAIK. I haven’t seen an electronic ballot in over a decade. The paper ballots are scanned and collected electronically, but they don’t display your selections. I’ve found reddit to be a haven of confabulists and trolls; that the one in this case (yes being a Clevelander who occ. drops by that sub, I saw the thread in question and immediately recognized it for what it was) failed to do his homework before posting his bullshit story should thus not be a surprise. After someone in the Pit redirected me here, my take-home is that almost all Gooper vitriol is performative and, when the chips are down, being the moral cowards that they are they’ll fold like cheap tents the instant a slight breeze pushes against them (the poker game is happening inside the tents, for those who dislike mixed metaphors). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-rigged-the-election/1034504.md?page=3)