Election misinformation has a way of repeating itself. Year after year, the same core themes surface, and while the specifics shift with each election cycle, the underlying falsehoods remain remarkably consistent. That predictability is actually a kind of opportunity: if we know what to listen for, we can recognize misleading claims before they take hold. The 2026 midterm elections will likely be no exception, with familiar narratives about illegal voting, foreign meddling, compromised machines, corrupt election workers, and suspiciously shifting results all making the rounds. What makes this cycle different, though, is that the federal government itself has become a major source of election misinformation. That is a new and troubling development. We are no longer just dealing with fringe social media posts or overheard rumors at a diner; now, high-ranking officials are amplifying false narratives from positions of authority. The good news is that many of these claims have been building for years, and the statements and actions of officials over the past two years give us a clear preview of what is likely to come. By understanding the playbook, we can be better prepared to separate fact from fiction and protect the integrity of our democratic processes.
One of the most persistent themes in election misinformation is the claim that noncitizens are registering to vote and casting ballots in massive numbers. It sounds alarming, but the evidence simply does not support it. Studies consistently show that noncitizens on voter rolls are exceedingly rare, thanks largely to rigorous, continuous voter roll maintenance conducted by states and the multiple checks in place to prevent ineligible individuals from registering. When someone does attempt to register, they must swear, under penalty of criminal prosecution and deportation, that they are a citizen. And in the rare cases where ineligible voters do end up onthe rolls, it is almost always the result of a clerical error, not a coordinated conspiracy. Similarly, instances of actual voter fraud are extremely rare, because every state has layers of safeguards designed to prevent ineligible people from casting ballots. For mail ballots, these protections can include individualized envelopes with unique barcodes, ballot design elements that make counterfeiting difficult, ballot tracking systems, signature verification, and secure drop-off locations. Despite all of this, the narrative of widespread noncitizen voting has become especially loud this year. The Trump administration has repeatedly pushed the false idea that noncitizens are flooding voter rolls, and the Department of Homeland Security even claimed to have found 250,000 noncitizens illegally registered across four states. State officials immediately disputed that figure, explaining that it was based on faulty matches of incomplete data. The administration has also targeted mail voting, issuing an executive order that would have prevented the U.S. Postal Service from sending ballots to voters who were not on a preapproved list. Courts blocked that order, so it will not be in effect for the 2026 elections. Still, expect to hear falsely that noncitizens are voting in large numbers, that mail ballots are being illegally collected andreturned by others, or that ineligible voters are submitting multiple ballots. These claims will circulate no matter how many times they are debunked, because they play on deep fears about fairness and national identity.
Foreign interference is another theme that has become a permanent fixture in election discourse, though it is often misunderstood. Over the past decade, foreign influence has emerged as a persistent concern for American elections and elections around the world. Nation-states certainly try to push political narratives and exploit social divisions to sway voters. But there is a critical distinction between foreign influence, which refers to efforts to shape public opinion, and foreign interference, which means disrupting election systems and processes themselves. It is important to remember that there is no evidence that foreign interference has ever altered vote counts, impacted voting counting systems, or otherwise affected the accuracy of an American election. Yet purveyors of misinformation frequently blur this line, intentionally conflating influence attempts with actual interference to make the threat seem more sinister. A prime example came at a July press conference, when President Trump alleged that China had interfered in the 2020 election because Chinese actors had obtained data on over 200 million voters from state voter files. What was left unsaid is that those voter files are, in most states, either public information or legally available for purchase by political campaigns and anyone else interested. It is hardly espionage to acquire public data. Another familiar tactic involves foreign actors themselves falsely claiming credit for hacking election systems when no such hacking occurred, a move designed to undermine public confidence and make the system look fragile. As we approach 2026, expect to hear misleading claims that foreign adversaries have successfully hacked into voter registration systems or voting machines, that foreign governments or citizens of other countries have requested or returned mail ballots, that agents of foreign governments are infiltrating election processes, or that foreign governments are responsible for political narratives or actions carried out by Americans. These claims are designed to make us feel that our elections are under siege from outside, when in reality, the greatest threats to election confidence have consistently come from within.
Voting machines remain one of the most popular targets for election misinformation, and the theories surrounding them have been recycled for well over a decade. The reality is that, in all but the smallest jurisdictions, election officials use voting machines because they are more accurate, faster, and cheaper than counting every ballot by hand. States have multiple safeguards in place to ensure these machines are accurate and secure. Machines are certified to federal and state standards, tested before and after every election, and for nearly every vote cast, there is a paper record that can be double-checked if there is any doubt about electronic vote counts. That paper trail is a crucial failsafe, yet it rarely gets mentioned in the rumor mill. The Trump administration has repeatedly attacked the integrity of voting machines, attempting to change federal standards through executive order and vowing to withhold federal funds from states that use particular machines. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has taken to arguing that, because voting machines contain components that can only be sourced from China, Chinese actors could therefore hack into them and alter vote counts. This is an assertion made entirely without evidence, a leap of logic that treats supply chain realities as proof of conspiracy. False claims about voting machines are likely to proliferate in 2026. Expect to hear that all voting machines, or at least a certain type, contain vulnerabilities making them susceptible to hacking; that machines were successfully hacked by a foreign adversary or other external actor to alter vote counts; that election workers or vendors who perform routine maintenance rigged the machines; or that machines are “flipping” votes or altering candidate lists before your very eyes. These narratives can be incredibly convincing, especially when they tap into general anxiety about technology, but they ignore the extensive testing, certification, and paper backup systems that exist precisely to catch any genuine problem.
Election worker malfeasance is yet another recurring theme in the misinformation landscape, and it has become increasingly dangerous for the people who actually run our elections. Elections are conducted at the local level, by members of the community—your neighbors, former teachers, retirees, people of all political stripes. The processes are transparent, open to observation, bipartisan by design, and built with multiple layers of redundancy and verification. But after the 2020 election, election officials across the country faced a wave of harassment, intimidation, andabuse as political leaders accused them, often without any evidence, of rigging elections. That pattern has only intensified, escalating this year to include severe pressure from the federal government itself. Secretary Mullin warned earlier this year that election officials could be “held accountable by fines, by penalties, and even… prison time” if they did not cooperate with the administration’s demands. It is hard to overstate how chilling that is for people who took on a public service role simply to help their communities vote safely. Misinformation about election workers is likely to include claims that they are registering noncitizens or failing to maintain clean voter rolls, that they are creating fake mail ballots or destroying real ones, that they are suppressing votes through polling place closures, technical failures, resource shortages, or mismanagement, or that they are stuffing ballot boxes andrigging vote counts. These accusations are deeply harmful, not only because they are false, but because they turn ordinary citizens doing their best into targets of suspicion and even violence. The more we hear these stories, the harder it becomes to recruit the poll workers and election officials we desperately need.
Finally, there is the entire category of misinformation about election results themselves, which often takes advantage of the naturally slow process of finalizing an election. Election night is never truly final. States complete a series of administrative steps over the course of weeks to ensure every valid vote is counted, to double-check totals, and to certify complete and final results. In recent elections, some states have needed more time to count ballots because of increased mail voting and state laws outlining how election workers must verify those ballots. Media companies have also needed more time to call races, which has frustrated many who simply want to know who won before going to bed. This gap between voting and final results has become fertile ground for election denial. With a quarter of Americans believing the 2020 election was stolen, it is clear that these narratives can find widespread purchase. States that are slow to count mail ballots, or that accept ballots postmarked by Election Day but arriving during a postelection grace period, have been particular targets of disinformation, especially when leads shift as results are reported. The Trump administration has attacked states with these policies and threatened to withhold funding from any state that accepts mail ballots arriving after Election Day, even though the Supreme Court upheld such policies earlier this year. As the 2026 results begin to come in, false claims will likely focus on shifts in vote totals after Election Day, with these natural adjustments being presented as evidence of fraud or rigged results. We may also see premature victory claims, with candidates or commentators declaring they have won long before all ballots are counted and certified. The truth is that a fair and accurate election takes time, and that time is a feature, not a bug. By understanding these recurring themes and the tactics behind them, we can approach the next election cycle with greater clarity, patience, and resilience, refusing to let misinformation undermine our confidence in the democratic process.