Election interference, what is it, what does it look like

[TSwizzle]

What do people mean by election interference? For years, the conspiracy theorists were trying to convince people (sometimes successfully) that Russia had somehow "interfered" with US elections. How did they do that? What is meant by interfered? What does interreference look like?

Same the latest election, that somehow people were duped into voting for Trump by nefarious forces (Russia again? Faux News etc) but how, what magical spells were cast that influenced the election illegitimately?

 

[Shadowy Man]

I, personally, would believe that election interference would be anything that physically interferes with a citizen's ability to cast their vote legally. This would cover things like laws that limit the number of voting locations and/or drop boxes, any barriers that create lines so long that voting cannot be accomplished within a reasonable time frame, laws that limit mail-in voting for those who would qualify. It would also include things like unsupported removal from voting rolls (e.g., name is similar to a convicted felon, didn't vote in the previous election) and not providing assistance for those who may find it difficult to obtain proper proof of citizenship when registering to vote.

What it wouldn't include is anything that sways the opinion of an uninformed person or a person who is easily swayed by commercials. I believe it is the responsibility of each voter to be as educated as they can be when voting, but as long as they are still provided every reasonable opportunity to cast their vote then those kinds of things are not election interference.

However, having said that, we are entering an unprecedented era of misinformation now that AI-generated videos are becoming nearly undetectable, so there may need to be some kind of laws regarding the dissemination of this kind of misinformation, especially in the political realm.

 

[TV and credit cards]

What do people mean by election interference? For years, the conspiracy theorists were trying to convince people (sometimes successfully) that Russia had somehow "interfered" with US elections. How did they do that? What is meant by interfered? What does interreference look like?

Same the latest election, that somehow people were duped into voting for Trump by nefarious forces (Russia again? Faux News etc) but how, what magical spells were cast that influenced the election illegitimately?

There's no "magical spells". It's called being gullible. Believing whatever horseshit you read/watch on the internet especially when it fits in with beliefs you already hold.

 

[barbos]

There's no "magical spells". It's called being gullible. Believing whatever horseshit you read/watch on the internet especially when it fits in with beliefs you already hold.

You mean shit like AlfaBankGate?

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Didn't Hair Furor pray to Russia and get his wish to come true?

"Russia, if you're listening..."

 

[Elixir]

Flooding the media with falsehoods intended to smear Democrats and elect Putinista Trump, who can corral the rest of the GOP into Putin's corner, is PERFECTLY LEGAL.
As is laundering unlimited rubles to spend on social media campaigns, AI-generated deep fakes and hundreds upon hundreds of phony "local news" websites. Perfectly legal.
They can't help it if MURKINS ARE STOOPID. It's perfectly legal.
At least, it is if Trump does it.

Didn't Hair Furor pray to Russia and get his wish to come true?

"Russia, if you're listening..."

Perfectly legal!
Our friend asked for "illegitimate" influence.
(I think the acid test for legitimacy is "did it work?")

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

What do people mean by election interference? For years, the conspiracy theorists were trying to convince people (sometimes successfully) that Russia had somehow "interfered" with US elections. How did they do that? What is meant by interfered? What does interreference look like?

Same the latest election, that somehow people were duped into voting for Trump by nefarious forces (Russia again? Faux News etc) but how, what magical spells were cast that influenced the election illegitimately?

Are you actually looking for an answer or is this a rhetorical question?

There is "interference" and there is "influence". You can go online and find BOTs out there spouting left-wing, right-wing crap to influence other people. In general, it is trying to push reinforcing what a person already believes, wedging people away from each other. But that isn't particularly about elections as much about sowing dissent amongst sides. Other things are people online being paid to spout positions they don't know or care about, but being paid.

There was no "interference" from the Chinese or Russians, though they likely try to see if they can at least get inside places.

In the end, America, by a small majority, elected Trump... again. And generally, we have only America to blame for it.

 

[bilby]

I think the acid test for legitimacy is "did it work?"

Treason never prospers, for if it prospers, who then dares to call it "treason"?

 

[TSwizzle]

What do people mean by election interference? For years, the conspiracy theorists were trying to convince people (sometimes successfully) that Russia had somehow "interfered" with US elections. How did they do that? What is meant by interfered? What does interreference look like?

Same the latest election, that somehow people were duped into voting for Trump by nefarious forces (Russia again? Faux News etc) but how, what magical spells were cast that influenced the election illegitimately?

Are you actually looking for an answer or is this a rhetorical question?

There is "interference" and there is "influence".

I was asking about interference. It was the term being thrown around a lot.

There was no "interference" from the Chinese or Russians, though they likely try to see if they can at least get inside places.

According to some (a few on here, I can't remember who exactly) they claim there was outside interreference in the election. Perhaps they actually meant influence but they were using the term interference. HRC I am sure was one of the high profile people claiming Russian interference.

But it seems there are no claims of interference from anyone on this board who responded.

In the end, America, by a small majority, elected Trump... again. And generally, we have only America to blame for it.

Well I still see at least one article about Trump not winning.

No matter, ny curiosity has been satisfied. Thanks for your response

 

[Politesse]

What do people mean by election interference? For years, the conspiracy theorists were trying to convince people (sometimes successfully) that Russia had somehow "interfered" with US elections. How did they do that? What is meant by interfered? What does interreference look like?

Same the latest election, that somehow people were duped into voting for Trump by nefarious forces (Russia again? Faux News etc) but how, what magical spells were cast that influenced the election illegitimately?

If a foreign power is involving itself in a national election at all, I think its fair to call that interference. There's no good reason for a country to allow extranational powers to fund candidates, campaigns, advertisements, etc. The US interferes in the politics of other nations routinely, so in some sense its fair play, but I don't think either behavior should be tolerated personally.

 

[Elixir]

we have only America to blame for it.

I think the laxity of both the Obama Administration and the Biden Administration failed to rehabilitate the electorate. The perception that all politics and politicians are dirty, only thrived because "both sides" turned a blind eye to it. Either it was someone on their own side whose vote they needed, someone on the other side whose antics were just a distraction.
Republicans learned early on that they could use this to their advantage, but it took The Felon to show them that massive deceit and even criminal fraud, were propitious pursuits. They went all in on it.

The rubes still haven't caught on.

The perversity of all those people who spoke so eloquently and correctly about Trump and are now kissing his orange-brown ass, to put it politely ... just stunning. I guess having a mobster with lots of functionally-immune-from-the-law thugs pissed off at you, is just too scary. I wouldn't know.

 

[Elixir]

I was asking about interference. It was the term being thrown around a lot.

I told you what I thought constituted foreign interfrence. Up to you to decide if that was your bolded interference or not.
Do let us know.
I know for a fact Democrats would never have gotten away with anything like that - they couldn't even try it, as they lacked Trump's Russian mob connections.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

There was no "interference" from the Chinese or Russians, though they likely try to see if they can at least get inside places.

According to some (a few on here, I can't remember who exactly) they claim there was outside interreference in the election.
Perhaps they actually meant influence but they were using the term interference. HRC I am sure was one of the high profile people claiming Russian interference.

Wikileaks? The word "interference" there is overly is strong, but I'd say that was a bit more than merely "influence", probably "coordinated" as the Russians directly were involved with the theft of documents and then fed it to Assange to put on the web to provide Trump cover such as with his 'I love sexually assaulting women... they dig that shit' scandal.

That was probably more of the media's fault for not taking America's stupidity serious enough. So many were ignorant of just how stupid America was (and apparently remains).

 

[TSwizzle]

I know how frustrating it is for you when the plebs don’t vote the way you want them to.

 

[Patooka]

I know how frustrating it is for you when the plebs don’t vote the way you want them to.

The plebs do, actually. The cunts you worship rarely if ever get the majority vote. Stop pretending you give a fuck about democracy.

 

[Swammerdami]

In addition to interference in regular elections, there is also interference in Senate votes. It turns out that Pete Hegseth may have been confirmed as Sec'y of Defense only because one GOP Senator faced a death threat if he voted "Nay":

Last month, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who has on rare occasions stood up to Donald Trump, cast the deciding—and, to some, unexpected—vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. Now, a report reveals that Tillis says the FBI had informed him of “credible” death threats before his vote. This revelation has led some to question whether he voted under duress, while others accuse him, and other Republicans, of caving to pressure.

“In private,” Vanity Fair‘s Gabriel Sherman reports, “Republicans talk about their fear that Trump might incite his MAGA followers to commit political violence against them if they don’t rubber-stamp his actions.”

“They’re scared shitless about death threats and Gestapo-like stuff,” a former Trump official told Sherman.

“Tillis told people that the FBI warned him about ‘credible death threats’ when he was considering voting against Pete Hegseth’s nomination for defense secretary,” Sherman reported. “According to the source, Tillis has said that if people want to understand Trump, they should read the 2006 book Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work.

 

[ZiprHead]

 Russian interference in the 2024 United States elections

The Russian state and government interfered in the 2024 United States elections through disinformation and propaganda campaigns[1] aimed at damaging Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and other Democrats while boosting the candidacy of Donald Trump and other candidates who support isolationism and undercutting support for Ukraine aid and NATO.[2][3][4][5][6] Russia's efforts represented the most active threat of foreign interference in the 2024 United States elections and follows Russia's previous pattern of spreading disinformation through fake social media accounts and right-wing YouTube channels[7][8] in order to divide American society and foster anti-Americanism.[9][10] On September 4, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted members of Tenet Media for having received $9.7 million as part of a covert Russian influence operation to co-opt American right-wing influencers to espouse pro-Russian content and conspiracy theories. Many of the followers of the related influencers were encouraged to steal ballots, intimidate voters, and remove or destroy ballot drop offs in the weeks leading up to the election.[11][12]

Read on from there.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Guccifer 2.0

"Guccifer 2.0" is a persona which claimed to be the hacker(s) who gained unauthorized access to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) computer network and then leaked its documents to the media,...

...

In March 2018, Special Counsel Robert Mueller took over investigation of Guccifer 2.0 from the FBI while it was reported that forensic determination had found the Guccifer 2.0 persona to be a "particular military intelligence directorate (GRU) officer working out of the agency's headquarters on Grizodubovoy Street in Moscow".

 

[ZiprHead]

Guccifer 2.0

"Guccifer 2.0" is a persona which claimed to be the hacker(s) who gained unauthorized access to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) computer network and then leaked its documents to the media,...

...

In March 2018, Special Counsel Robert Mueller took over investigation of Guccifer 2.0 from the FBI while it was reported that forensic determination had found the Guccifer 2.0 persona to be a "particular military intelligence directorate (GRU) officer working out of the agency's headquarters on Grizodubovoy Street in Moscow".

The RNC was hacked too. I suspect they kept that data quiet to use as influence and extortion on Republicans.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

What does interreference look like?

It looks a lot like interference, but it's spelled incorrectly.