States play defense amid Trump’s latest election fraud claims

State election officials have rejected or qualified President Trump’s renewed claims of widespread weaknesses in US voting systems ahead of the midterm elections. They say public explanations of safeguards, investigations and audits are needed to counter misinformation and maintain confidence in the electoral process.

Trump cited a 2020 Michigan voter-registration case, postal voting in California and alleged non-citizens on voter rolls in four states. New Jersey acknowledged that a 2023–24 motor-vehicle software error registered about 6,600 people who said they were not citizens, but said the issue was being addressed; DHS claimed up to 250,000 possible matches, while The Hill reported only 118,000 matched names and dates of birth. A survey found that roughly six in ten voters were confident their ballots would be counted correctly in the midterms.