As votes are counted across the country to determine who will be the next President of the United States, there are a lot of accusations of fraud and misconduct, some coming directly from the incumbent, President Donald Trump.
This has also led to a series of lawsuits in contested states two of which have already been dismissed.
News 6 is taking some of these claims and running them through the Trust Index to see if they have a legal leg to stand on.
Trump has followed through with a promise of lawsuits.
“All of the recent Biden claimed states will be legally challenged by us for voter fraud and state election fraud. Plenty of proof.” Trump tweeted.
However, many election experts say Trump’s proof is slim.
“President Trump has a reputation for filing lawsuits. He’s been doing it now for half a century,” said Jim Clark, a historian at the University of Central Florida and a News 6 political analyst. “It’s absolutely no surprise that they’re looking for any opening, no matter where it is."
In Michigan, Trump claims an election challenger was excluded from the counting board during the absent voter ballot review process, according to the lawsuit.
Michigan’s Secretary of State has said poll workers from both parties were allowed inside.
Clark says Trump’s claims are short on evidence.
“You’re going to have to start assembling some proof,” Clark said. “It can’t just be statements from people saying something happened, and that’s going to be the difficult part."
Trump has also filed lawsuits in Nevada, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.
In September, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ordered state election officials to accept mail-in ballots that arrive up to three days late, if they were post marked by election day or lacked a legible postmark.
The goal was to allow room for the record number of Americans voting by mail due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Republicans appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which last week declined to rush a decision before the election.
But Trump is hoping to raise the issue again.
LeRoy Pernell is a professor of law at Florida A&M College of Law.
He says Trump’s strategy with the lawsuits may be more about shaping public opinion.
“As far as the specific legal challenges, I just don’t see how they move forward very successfully,” Pernell said.
“It may play out much better in terms of the public’s reaction to all of these lawsuits and challenges and doubt about the election,” Pernell said.
In the 24 hours after the election, Twitter flagged six tweets posted by the president because they included unsubstantiated claims, reports The New York Times.
Twitter flagged one tweet--posting, “You may not use Twitter’s services for the purpose of manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes,” the disclaimer reads.
After reviewing this topic, we've found some issues - Be Careful.
Based on information from a law professor and political analyst, we give the President’s claims of voter fraud “Be careful” on the Trust Index.
Judges in Georgia and Michigan have dismissed the lawsuits.