Key facts
- Senior Democrats, including Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, have participated in election disruption exercises.
- The exercises simulated scenarios involving AI-generated deepfakes, misinformation, and voter intimidation.
- Donald Trump continues to promote false claims about the 2020 election's legitimacy.
- Trump has called for federalized oversight of elections and proposed the Save America Act.
- Democrats considered responses to potential actions like withholding federal funding for states and FCC actions against media outlets.
Senior Democrats in the US Senate have been conducting simulated exercises, or 'wargaming,' to prepare for potential threats to the integrity of upcoming elections. These sessions, attended by figures like Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and senators Alex Padilla, Adam Schiff, Mark Warner, Elissa Slotkin, and Raphael Warnock, involve legal experts presenting scenarios designed to test preparedness and identify vulnerabilities.
One simulated scenario involved the rapid spread of realistic AI-generated deepfake videos depicting election fraud, which, despite being quickly debunked, would be amplified by right-wing media and the US president. This could lead to election workers receiving death threats and the appearance of armed individuals at polling places. Such exercises are standard planning tools to identify gaps and strengthen coordination, according to Justin Vail of Protect Democracy.
Despite confidence from groups like Democracy Forward, led by Skye Perryman, in the resilience of the US electoral system, concerns persist due to Donald Trump's ongoing false claims about the 2020 election and his push for federalized election oversight. Trump's recent address, which he billed as presenting new evidence of election illegitimacy and vulnerabilities, instead focused on unsubstantiated claims about China acquiring American voter data and undermining his campaign. His intelligence officials had previously concluded China avoided interfering to prevent political blowback.
Trump also threatened broadcast licenses of networks that did not carry his address live and reiterated his call for the Save America Act, which would ban mail-in ballots and impose new voter identification requirements. Republican senators have largely blocked this legislation via the filibuster. Senator Jon Ossoff characterized Trump's actions as signaling an intent to attack elections and voting rights, similar to his efforts following the 2020 election.
The exercises explored responses to various threats, including withholding Office of Management and Budget (OMB) funding from states that refuse federal oversight of voter rolls, and potential Federal Communications Commission (FCC) actions against news outlets reporting on deepfakes. More extreme scenarios considered included armed vigilantes at ballot drop boxes, firebombing of early voting sites, and the unilateral deployment of Department of Homeland Security agents and the National Guard to polling stations. The overarching lesson from these simulations is the need for a comprehensive, coordinated response from all stakeholders to protect elections.