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(WASHINGTON) — With five days until Election Day, Kamala Harris is attacking Donald Trump for saying Wednesday night in Wisconsin that, against his advisers’ advice, he is going to keep saying he will “protect the women” “whether the women like it or not.”

Both candidates continue their whirlwind campaigns in the West.

Harris seizes on Trump’s comment about protecting women ‘whether the women like it not’

Harris seized an opportunity to criticize Trump on abortion after for his comments at his rally Wednesday night in which he said he would protect women “whether the women like it or not.”

“Donald Trump thinks he should get to make decisions about what you do with your body,” Harris posted on X. “Whether you like it or not.”

Harris’ campaign clipped Trump’s comments and edited it into a loop with a split screen of headlines about Trump saying “he could prosecute women for abortions,” “might monitor pregnancies,” and other abortion-related headlines.

More than 59 million Americans have voted early

As of 5:45 a.m. on Thursday, more than 59 million Americans have voted early, according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida.

Of the total number of early votes, 31,018,125 were cast in person and 27,952,363 were returned by mail.

Musk asks for $1 million lottery case to be moved to federal court

In a filing late Wednesday evening, Elon Musk sought to have the lawsuit against his $1 million giveaway moved into federal court, arguing the claims “turn principally on the allegation that defendants are somehow unlawfully interfering with a federal election.”

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has accused Musk and his America PAC of running an illegal lottery and violating state consumer protection laws.

The filing specifically states “this is not a case” about whether or not Musk violated state or federal laws that prohibit vote buying.

But Musk’s Wednesday filing notes the lawsuit’s repeated references to the upcoming presidential election. That includes Krasner’s claim that Musk and his PAC “hatched their illegal lottery scheme to influence voters in that election.”

“The complaint, in truth, has little to do with state-law claims of nuisance and consumer protection,” Musk’s attorney wrote in his filing.

“Rather, although disguised as state law claims, the complaint’s focus is to prevent defendants’ purported ‘interference’ with the forthcoming federal presidential election by any means.”

The filing argues any order in the case would “require judicial intervention into the progress of an ongoing federal election” — a move they say is not allowed.

The filing comes before a Thursday morning hearing in Philadelphia on the issue.

-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin

Harris responds to Trump’s comments on protecting women

Vice President Kamala Harris seized an opportunity to criticize former President Donald Trump on abortion after the Republican presidential nominee told a rally Wednesday night that he would protect women “whether the women like it or not.”

“Donald Trump thinks he should get to make decisions about what you do with your body,” Harris wrote on X. “Whether you like it or not.”

Harris’s campaign clipped Trump’s comments and edited it into a loop with a split screen of headlines about Trump saying “he could prosecute women for abortions,” “might monitor pregnancies” and other abortion-related headlines.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie

Harris slams Trump after reports he promised RFK Jr. public health role

Vice President Kamala Harris commented late Wednesday night on the promises former President Donald Trump has allegedly made to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“Putting an anti-abortion conspiracy theorist in charge of our public health agencies says everything you need to know about how Donald Trump would govern,” Harris wrote on X.

“He is more unhinged than ever, and if he wins, he’ll have no one to hold him back.”

Trump said Sunday of RFK Jr.: “I’m going to let him go wild on health, I’m going to let him go wild on the food, I’m going to let him go wild on medicines.”

In response, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said, “No formal decisions about cabinet and personnel have been made, however, President Trump has said he will work alongside passionate voices like RFK Jr. to make America healthy again.”

-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Kelsey Walsh, Soo Rin Kim and Lalee Ibssa

Harris woos 1st-time voters during Wisconsin concert series

Vice President Kamala Harris held another get-out-the-vote rally in Madison, Wisconsin, Wednesday, joined by musical stars including Mumford and Sons, The National’s Matt Berninger, Gracie Abrams and Remi Wolf.

Harris applauded the audience — many of whom were young first-time voters — for using their “power.”

“You grew up with active shooter drills, are fighting to keep our schools safe,” Harris said. “You will now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers,” the vice president added.

“What I know about you is these issues are not theoretical,” Harris continued. “This is not political for you. This is your lived experience. And I see you and I see your power. I see your power, and I am so proud of you.”

Harris largely stuck to her usual stump speech, contrasting herself to former President Donald Trump by pledging that as president she won’t be looking to “score political points,” but to “make progress.”

-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow and Will McDuffie

‘Whether the women like it or not, I’m going to protect them,’ Trump says during rally

Following his press conference in a garbage truck, former President Donald Trump held a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin – still opting to sport his new orange safety vest.

He stuck to his stump speech heavily focused on immigration and the economy, he also made an appeal to women repeating he will be their “protector.”

Trump suggested that his campaign advised him to not say he’ll protect women, but he disagreed.

“We think it’s very inappropriate for you to say,” Trump said his campaign told him.

“I said, ‘Why, I’m president. I want to protect the women of our country.’ They said, ‘Sir, I just think it’s inappropriate for you to say,'” Trump explained.

“Well, I’m going to do it. Whether the women like it or not, I’m going to protect them,” Trump told the crowd. “I’m going to protect them from migrants coming in. I’m going to protect them from foreign countries that want to hit it, hit us with missiles and lots of other things.”

“I’m going to defend and I’m going to protect women. I’m not going to let people go up to the suburbs or go into places where they live, whether it’s suburbs or cities or farms. We’re going to protect our women, at the border, we’re going to protect our women, and also we’re going to protect our men and our children. We’re going to protect everybody.”

Trump then asked the crowd: “Is there any woman in this giant stadium who would like not to be protected? Is there any woman in this stadium that wants to be protected by the president?”

The moment was met with a large applause.

‘We all want the war in Gaza to end,’ Harris responds to ‘cease-fire now’ chants

A few chants of “cease-fire now” broke out as Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage during a rally at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Wednesday night.

“Listen, we all want the war in Gaza to end and get the hostages out as soon as possible,” Harris said in response to the chanting. “And I will do everything in my power to make it heard and known.”

As the chants continued, she said, “And everyone has a right to be heard. But right now I am speaking.” The remark garnered loud cheers.

The event was billed as a “Get Out the Vote” rally and took place at the University of Wisconsin-Madison featuring performances by Gracie Abrams and Mumford & Sons.

With less than a week before Election Day, Harris is taking her “closing argument” to voters on the road after a big speech at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night. (Pro-Palestinian protesters were also escorted out of that speech)

Harris’ remarks in Wisconsin lasted about 25 minutes. In them, she did not address President Joe Biden’s controversial comments Tuesday that seemed to refer to Trump supporters as “garbage.”

Trump’s final campaign stop ahead of Election Day scheduled to take place in Grand Rapids: Sources

Former President Donald Trump’s final campaign stop of the 2024 election is scheduled to take place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Monday, Nov. 4, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

Grand Rapids was where Trump concluded his 2020 campaign and 2016 campaign as well.

In addition to Grand Rapids, he’s expected to make multiple campaign stops in battleground states on the eve of the Election Day, including in Pennsylvania.

-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim, Kelsey Walsh and Lalee Ibssa

Trump rides to WI campaign stop in garbage truck

Days after a comedian labeled Puerto Rico a “pile of garbage” at Donald Trump’s MSG rally, the former president rode to a Green Bay, Wisconsin, rally in a Trump-marked garbage truck Wednesday.

Trump continued to bash President Joe Biden’s response to the controversial moment from the MSG rally in which he said that Trump’s supporters were garbage.

Biden clarified his comments and Vice President Kalama Harris told reporters, “I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”

Trump, however, told reporters while riding in the garbage truck that “250 million people are not garbage.”

“I can tell you who the real garbage is but I will not say that,” he continued.

Trump falsely claimed there was corruption in Pennsylvania.

Later pressed if he would accept election results if there’s no evidence of fraud, Trump reiterated claims about Pennsylvania, and then said, “If they find no evidence of cheating anywhere, I’ll accept it.”

Pressed on a potential role Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could play in his administration, Trump vaguely said he would work with him but while not confirming that he’d be given the top Health and Human Services job.

“We’ll work with him, and he’s a very talented guy. He wants women’s health. He wants health for people, and we’re going to work with him. He’s a very, very talented guy,” Trump said.

-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Kelsey Walsh and Soo Rin Kim

Philly hearing on Musk lawsuit moved up to Thursday

The judge overseeing the lawsuit against Elon Musk and his $1 million dollar giveaway to registered voters who sign a petition supporting the First and Second amendments has moved up a hearing in the case to Thursday at 10 a.m., bumping it up from Friday, according to a new order.

The order from Judge Angelo Foglietta states that “all parties must be present.”

Earlier Wednesday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner asked the court to “enhance its security” for the hearing.

Krasner said Musk’s post about the case on X has “triggered an avalanche of posts.” including “antisemitic attacks” against the prosecutor.

-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin

Thank you cookies to NC election workers prompts hazmat response

A thank you present of pineapple-shaped cookies delivered to the Wake County Board of Elections in North Carolina prompted a hazmat response on Tuesday after election workers raised concerns about a suspicious package mailed from Hawaii.

“We are just on high alert with these things automatically,” said Wake County elections specialist Danner McCulloh, who cited recent incidents of suspicious packages containing powder sent to election offices across the country.

The Raleigh Police and Fire Departments quickly responded to the incident and bomb technicians x-rayed the package, according to Lt. Jason Borneo of the Raleigh Police Department.

After the package was deemed to not be a threat, emergency responders opened the package to learn it was full of cookies shipped from the Honolulu Cookie Company. The operations at Wake County Board of Elections were not impacted during the incident, a county spokesperson said.

According to McCulloh, a person who heard a radio story about Wake County decided to send the cookies unannounced to thank election workers.

“It was a kind gesture,” McCulloh said, though he recommended against others sending cookies to his office.

-ABC News’ Peter Charalambous
 

Harris brings her closing argument to Pennsylvania: ‘Turn the page’

Harris brought her “closing argument” to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, highlighting what she said is a clear contrast between her and Trump, and encouraging voters to cast their ballots in the election’s final days.

“We know we have an opportunity in this election to turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other. That is who he is. But Pennsylvania, that is not who we are,” Harris said, swapping out “America” for “Pennsylvania” from her speech at the Ellipse the night before.

Harris was interrupted several times by pro-Palestinian protesters.

“We are six days out of an election. We are six days away from an election. And ours is about a fight for democracy. And your right to be heard. That is what is on the line in this election. That is what is on the line in this election,” Harris said as she was being jeered by a protestor holding up a large Palestinian flag.

“Look, everybody has a right to be heard. But right now, I am speaking. And one of the biggest issues that folks around the country want to talk about and hear is about how we are going to bring down the price of living for working people,” she said.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie

Voters, Dems ask Supreme Court to reject RNC appeal of Pennsylvania ballot case

Two Pennsylvania voters and the state’s Democratic Party asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to reject a Republican request to block counting of provisional in-person ballots cast by people whose mail-in ballots were not put into a required security envelope.

The Democrats argued the Pennsylvania Supreme Court delivered a “straightforward” decision that state law permits voters whose mail ballots were not counted to “exercise their statutory right to vote provisionally rather than be disenfranchised altogether.”

The party contends that the RNC has no standing to bring a challenge in the case because it involves two ballots from the 2024 Democratic primary in which the Republican Party could not have been “injured.”

They also argued that the so-called Purcell principle — of nonintervention by courts close to a voting period — does not apply to state courts.

The Democrats also said the Republicans’ request for segregation and non-counting of provisional ballots would be a “sweeping” intervention and imposition on county boards of election which are not even parties to the case.

-ABC News’ Devin Dwyer‘It’s invaded our home,’ PA nuns swept up in misinformation campaign

‘It’s invaded our home,’ PA nuns swept up in misinformation campaign

A nun in Pennsylvania who was swept up in a misinformation campaign boosted by a Republican activist said she’s praying to be left alone.

Cliff Maloney, who runs a door-knocking organization, claimed in an X post one of his staffers visited an address in Erie, Pennsylvania, last week and was told none of the 53 registered voters who used that address actually lived there.

However, the address is home to 55 resident nuns of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie. All but two of the nuns are registered to vote.

“It’s invaded our home, if you want to describe it that way,” Sister Stephanie Schmidt, the prioress, told ABC News.

Maloney also posted the names and political affiliations of each nun on his X account, something Schmidt said made her empathize with countless other Americans caught up in misinformation on social media.

“It was very concerning, because this was a blatant lie, putting out to the public information that was just wrong,” she said.

“This campaign is filled with so much deceit, so much misinformation, and we have to wake people up, which is another reason why we’re going public with this, to alert people to not believe everything you read,” Schmidt added.

Maloney has not responded to repeated requests to answer questions from ABC News.

He later posted an update claiming his team was “analyzing” the new information about the nuns’ residence and said, “Once we have proof, we will be content.”

Schmidt says one of the things she’s praying for most is for this misinformation to leave them alone.

-ABC News’ Jay O’Brien

Trump slams Biden over ‘garbage’ comments, calls opponents ‘lowlifes’

Trump again responded to President Joe Biden’s Tuesday comments in which he appeared to refer to Trump supporters as “garbage.”

During his rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on Wednesday, the former president claimed, “Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters. He called them ‘garbage.’ And they mean it.”

“Frankly, they’ve treated you like garbage,” Trump added.

Although Biden later clarified his comments, in which he was responding to the derogatory comments about Puerto Rico made during Trump’s New York rally on Sunday, Trump labeled his opponents as “lowlifes” and claimed the current administration has “virtually destroyed” America.

“Kamala Harris, a low-IQ individual, is running a campaign of hate, anger and retribution. See, I’m very nice to them. They’re not nice,” he said.

Trump responded to a supporter who shouted, “She’s an idiot!” referring to Harris, sarcastically saying, “I didn’t say it. I didn’t say it. In fact, I’d like to admonish you, sir. You should not say that, please.”

Although Trump disavowed the supporter, his body language told a different story as he stood on stage laughing.

-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa and Soorin Kim
 

Michigan authorities charge ‘non-US citizen’ with illegal voting

Authorities in Michigan charged an unidentified non-U.S. citizen with allegedly illegally registering to vote and casting a ballot.

More specific details about the case, which took place in Ann Arbor on Sunday, were not immediately available.

The case was referred to law enforcement by a clerk, according to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit.

“We are grateful for the swift action of the clerk in this case, who took the appropriate steps and referred the case to law enforcement. We are also grateful to law enforcement for swiftly and thoroughly investigating this case,” they said in a joint statement.

“Noncitizen voting is an extremely isolated and rare event. Investigations in multiple states and nationwide have found no evidence of large numbers of noncitizens registering to vote. Even less common is a noncitizen actually casting a ballot,” they added.

-ABC News’ Mike Levine

Nicky Jam walks back Trump endorsement following MSG rally

Last month, Reggaeton music artist Nicky Jam, who is half Puerto Rican, stood on stage with a MAGA hat and endorsed Trump in Las Vegas.

On Wednesday, he announced he was rescinding that endorsement, citing the offensive comments about Puerto Rico made at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.

In an Instagram video to his 43 million fans, Nicky Jam told his fans in Spanish he couldn’t overlook the inflammatory language in recent days.

“The reason why I supported Donald Trump was because I thought it was the best thing for the economy in the United States, where many Latinos live … I thought it was the best move. Never in my life did I think that a month later a comedian was going to come to criticize my country and talk bad about my country and therefore, I renounce any support to Donald Trump and I throw my sides to any political situation,” he said.

During the Vegas rally, Trump thought Nicky Jam was a woman and said, “She’s hot,” before bringing him on stage.

-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim and Kelsey Walsh

Judge grants Trump campaign request to extend early voting deadline for PA county

A Pennsylvania judge swiftly granted a request from the Trump campaign to extend the in-person mail-in-ballot deadline in Bucks County by three days — extending it to the end of the day on Friday.

The campaign had asked for one-day extension.

In his one-page order, Judge Jeffrey Trauger wrote that the county violated the Pennsylvania Election Code after “turning away voters who sought to apply for a mail-in ballot and receive one in person before the deadline.”

He ordered the county to allow anyone who wishes to “apply for, receive, vote, and return a mail-in ballot” to be able to do so before the close of business on Friday.

-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin

Philly DA asks for more security for Elon Musk hearing

The Philadelphia district attorney who is bringing a lawsuit to stop Elon Musk’s $1 million voter giveaway asked the judge overseeing the case Wednesday to “enhance its security” for an upcoming hearing in the matter.

DA Larry Krasner said in a new court filing Musk’s post about the case on X has “triggered an avalanche of posts.” including “antisemitic attacks” against the prosecutor.

One account was “inviting political violence” and posted Krasner’s home address, according to the filing.

“These posts, which unquestionable are criminal…. and remain posted on Musk’s X website today,” the filing states.

Another post read “Krasner loves visitors. Mask up and leave all cellphones at home,” according to the filing.

“The directives to ‘mask up’ and to ‘leave all cellphones at home’ are to prevent identification of illegal actors by video, by eyewitnesses, and by cellphone geolocation,” the filing states.

Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to ABC News for comment.

The hearing in the case is set for Friday at 10am.

-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin

Harris stresses unity in Raleigh speech

Vice President Kamala Harris held her first of three Wednesday rallies in Raleigh, hammering a message of unity.

Harris encouraged North Carolinians to take advantage of early voting, which ends Saturday in the state.

“We have just six days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, and we have work to do,” she said.

“It is time for a new chapter where we stop … pointing fingers at each other and instead let us lock arms with one another, knowing we have so much more in common than what separates us,” she said.

When a protestor began shouting, Harris spoke about bringing people with opposing views into her tent.

“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table, and I pledge to be a president for all Americans and to always put Americans before myself,” she said.

Harris also gave a shoutout to Gen-Z supporters.

“I see the promise of America in all the young leaders who are voting for the first time,” she said.

-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Cheyenne Haslett, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Fritz Farrow

Trump campaign sues Pennsylvania county

The Trump campaign sued Pennsylvania’s Bucks County Board of Elections and others Tuesday night over claims the county “turned away voters,” according to a filing in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas.

The campaign filed a writ of summons, which contained no allegations or specific claims.

A spokesperson for Bucks County told ABC News in a statement Tuesday evening that the county “has been made aware that litigation may be filed tomorrow. We have no comment at this time.”

Lawyers for the county entered an appearance on Wednesday, according to the docket.

The county was previously accused of “suppressive and intimidating” tactics, including claiming voters were turned away and lines were closed early.

However, the county pushed back on any suggestion that what occurred in Bucks County amounts to intentional voter suppression.

“Contrary to what is being depicted on social media, if you are in line by 5 p.m. for an on-demand mail-in ballot application, you will have the opportunity to submit your application for a mail-in ballot,” the county said in a statement.

The county did acknowledge that there was indeed some “miscommunication” from officials on site.

Those in line applying for on-demand ballots were “briefly told they could not be accommodated,” the county said, but added that those individuals were ultimately allowed to submit their applications, according to officials.

In a post on X, the secretary of state’s office echoed that sentiment, asking for voters to “be patient.”

“Earlier today, we spoke with Bucks County election officials who assured us that every registered voter who goes to their county election office by 5 p.m. today will be provided an opportunity to apply for their mail ballot,” the post said. “Please be patient with all county election office staff as they work hard to ensure every registered voter is able to vote in this election,” he said.

-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin

Supreme Court allows Virginia to purge 1,600 voters

The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing Virginia to move forward with its purge of 1,600 alleged noncitizens from the voter rolls ahead of Election Day.

The conservative majority’s decision — which was not explained — reverses rulings by a federal district court judge and a unanimous appeals court panel.

Both had said that Virginia’s purge, initiated by an executive order from Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, violated federal law prohibiting the “systematic” removal of voters from registration lists within 90-days of an election.

The Supreme Court’s decision suggests that the justices acted either under the Purcell principle — to keep federal courts from intervening in state election administration too close to voting — or under the belief that Virginia had compellingly argued that the federal law’s “quiet period” didn’t apply here.

The state advanced the idea that noncitizens — who were never “eligible” to vote in the first place — can be removed at any time. It also emphasized in court briefs that anyone erroneously removed as an alleged noncitizen is given two opportunities to correct his or her registration status.

The three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — indicated they would have kept the purge on hold.

Noncitizen voters are already prohibited from registering to vote for federal and state elections.

The Virginia voters who were purged, however, can still have a chance to vote if they use Virginia’s same-day registration option at the polls.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares tweeted on Wednesday “I am pleased to announce that the US Supreme Court granted Virginia’s emergency stay to keep noncitizens off our voter rolls.”

Damon Hewitt, the president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law which led the efforts in Virginia, blasted the decision.

“None of this activity is random. It’s all highly orchestrated, but it’s also orchestrated with a purpose,” he said in a statement,

-ABC News’ Devin Dwyer and Beatrice Peterson

Arnold Schwarzenegger, former GOP governor, endorses Harris

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday that he was going to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.

“The Terminator” actor and longtime Republican said in lengthy X post that he didn’t like either party now given the divisions and lack of progress from leaders in Washington, D.C.

However, Schwarzenegger said he was “furious” over Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election, anti-immigrant rhetoric, economic policies and actions on Jan. 6.

“We need to close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that former President Trump won’t do that. He will divide, he will insult, he will find new ways to be more un-American than he already has been, and we, the people, will get nothing but more anger,” he said.

“That’s enough reason for me to share my vote with all of you. I want to move forward as a country, and even though I have plenty of disagreements with their platform, I think the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz,” he said.

Will Nikki Haley campaign for Trump?

Nikki Haley recently said she is ready to campaign for Trump, despite not talking to him since June.

Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, when asked about whether Haley will make an appearance, said Tuesday he would “love” to see her on the trail, but said it was up to her schedule.

Haley was Trump’s last major challenger in the Republican primary. Despite hitting him hard in the final weeks of her campaign, she later endorsed him at the Republican National Convention.

And she’s continued some criticism of his campaign strategy. During an appearance on Fox News, she said the racist remark about Puerto Rico by a comedian at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally was “harmful” and that the campaign “need[s] to go and tell Puerto Ricans how much, you know, they do value them.”

She also said the Trump team had to improve its messaging to women.

“I mean, that this bromance and this masculinity stuff,” she said. “I mean, it borders on edgy to the point that it’s going to make women uncomfortable. You know, you’ve got affiliated PACs that are doing commercials about calling Kamala the ‘C-word,’ or you had speakers at Madison Square Garden, you know, referring to her and her pimps.”

“That is not the way to win women. That is not the way to win people who are concerned about Trump style,” Haley added.

Trump escalates baseless rhetoric on Pennsylvania’s election system

It’s a state that could tip the result of the 2024 election.

And Trump is ramping up rhetoric sowing doubt on the state’s voting process.

In a post on his social media site on Wednesday morning, Trump claimed there’s “cheating” happening at “large scale levels.” He did not elaborate or provide evidence for his claims.

Some isolated incidents have emerged, including approximately 2,500 potentially fraudulent voter registration applications being investigated in Lancaster County, though officials stressed the system worked and that voters can be confident in the election.

-ABC News’ Soorin Kim and Olivia Rubin

Harris hits the road with her closing pitch

Harris will take her closing argument to voters on the road after a big speech at the Ellipse in Washington on Tuesday night. She holds a 12:30 p.m. ET rally in North Carolina, a 4:35 ET event in Pennsylvania and a 9:30 p.m. ET rally in Wisconsin.

Trump will also be in North Carolina for a 1 p.m. ET rally before a 7 p.m. ET rally in Wisconsin.

Looming large over the campaign trail are President Joe Biden’s comments from a Vote Latino campaign call Tuesday night. His wording angered Republicans, who saw him as referring to the supporters of Trump as “garbage.” The White House and Biden himself, seeking to clarify the remark, argued he was referring to the racist rhetoric made by a speaker at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday.

 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — As Americans head to the polls this Election Day, trust that their vote will be counted accurately and that the democratic process is safe from interference is vital, experts said.

But with early voting well underway and just days before the remainder of the 2024 presidential election ballots are cast, unfounded conspiracy theories about the safety of voting machines loom over the fight for the White House.

The 2020 election saw former President Donald Trump sparking some distrust in the voting system that was purported by some fellow Republicans, supporters and media outlets.

Despite voting machine conspiracy theories, such as internet hacking and widespread physical tampering, being debunked, misinformation about the democratic process is ubiquitous on social media and fodder for some of the recent lawsuits filed by RNC-aligned groups in key swing states.

Elon Musk — a major Trump backer and the owner of X — recently continued to stoke voting machines falsehoods, telling the crowd at a town hall in Pennsylvania, “The last thing I would do is trust a computer program, because it’s just too easy to hack,” Musk said.

However, multiple reviews into 2020 voter fraud claims and a landmark defamation lawsuit between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News found the vote-rigging conspiracy theories, and Trump’s assertion he won the election over President Joe Biden, to be unfounded.

In April 2023, Dominion reached a nearly $800 million settlement with Fox for spreading the false theories across the conservative news stations’ platforms.

Additionally, state and federal courts dismissed more than 60 lawsuits across six states from Trump and his allies aiming to overturn the 2020 election results.

“There was no credibility to those claims,” Lauren Cristella, the president of Committee of Seventy, a nonpartisan government watchdog organization in Philadelphia, told ABC News.

“I am confident that our elections are free, fair, safe and secure, and that the systems we have in place, the checks and balances that we have in place, are working,” Cristella added.

So, how do voting machines work? And what security measures are in place from the federal level to the community level to ensure that every vote is counted and free from interference?

Before Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris vie for America’s vote on Nov. 5, experts said understanding the security measures that follow ballots from the polls to the count can bring clarity and comfort to the process.

What voting machines are used in the election?

While election officials use technology for voter registration, tallying, and, in some cases, vote-casting, the system is largely centered around paper ballots.

“In nearly all places across the country, about 98% of voters, when they cast their ballot, there is going to be a paper record of their vote,” Derek Tisler, who serves as counsel in the Brennan Center for Justice’s elections and government program, told ABC News.

Historically, there have been five types of voting machines used in the U.S.: hand-counted paper, mechanical lever machines, punch-card machines, scanned paper ballots and direct-recording electronic devices, according to the MIT Election Lab.

Going into the 2024 election, optical scan paper ballot systems are widely used to tally physical ballot votes, which can be likened to the technology used to score a standardized test, according to MIT.

Voters mark their ballots in a private voting booth and then it is scanned as it’s being deposited in the ballot box, with the votes being tallied at the end of the day.

Direct recording electronic systems utilize buttons or a touch screen to record votes, often with a paper ballot record for audits or a recount.

And ballot-marking devices and systems, which are entirely electronic, are primarily used to accommodate voters with disabilities.

There are 10 different voting system manufacturers that have been tested and approved by the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC), including Clear Ballot, Dominion Voting Systems and Election Systems & Software (ES&S), to name a few.

The road to approval includes stress tests on the equipment and checks for software flaws, making sure the machines have the basic functionality, accessibility and security capabilities required of these systems, according to the EAC.

“So every voting system, including ours, goes through a certification process in accredited test labs,” Chip Trowbridge, the chief technology officer of Clear Ballot, told ABC News.

“Every change, no matter how big or how small, if it’s a source code or software change, has to be reviewed,” Trowbridge said.

Individual states and local jurisdictions also have certification processes for voting machine manufacturers that vary based on location, according to Trowbridge.

What safety measures are taken to protect voting machines?

One of the first lines of defense against tampering is the physical security of voting machines, according to Ted Allen, an integrated systems engineer professor at Ohio State University and member of the MIT Election Lab.

Leading up to Election Day and after votes are cast, the machines are stored in secure locations with access limited to election officials, Allen told ABC News.

At polling locations, voting machines are constantly under surveillance, with election officials and security personnel trained to ensure that no unauthorized access is possible, according to Allen.

“The paper, the chain of custody of the equipment and the chain of custody of the ballots are all generally, very carefully studied and controlled,” Allen said.

The 2020 election, however, did see a few individuals being charged for with tampering with voting machines.

Tina Peters, a Republican election official in Colorado, was sentenced to nine years in prison for leading a security breach of the county’s election system after being inspired by false and baseless claims of voting fraud.

She was convicted for giving an individual access to the election software she used for her county. Screenshots of the software appeared on right-wing websites.

In Georgia, bail bondsman Scott Hall was charged in relation to the alleged breach of voting machine equipment in the wake of the 2020 election in Coffee County.

Hall and several of his co-defendants allegedly “entered into a conspiracy to intentionally interfere” with the 2020 election results and “unlawfully” access voting machines in order to obtain data, including images of ballots.

Hall pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with performance of election duties. He will get probation and has agreed to testify moving forward, including at the trial of other co-defendants.

While no system is ever completely impervious to threats, voting machines are protected by a range of technical and procedural measures that make them extremely difficult to hack.

A spokesperson for Election Systems & Software, Inc., told ABC News, that outside of physical controls, the company’s voting equipment adheres to secure practices for the creation, transfer and storage of important election files and data.

Using encryption and digital signing for data, cryptographic modules that meet the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) and creating encrypted USB flash drives programmed for that specific election all prevent tampering by unauthorized agents, according to ES&S.

Do voting machines connect to the internet?

A key safeguard in making voting machines difficult to hack is the lack of internet access during the voting process.

The machines used to scan ballots at a voting precinct are incapable of having any Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, radio or network connection at all, according to Trowbridge.

“Those systems absolutely cannot have any network,” Trowbridge said. “In fact, if you look at the machines from Clear Ballot, the only wire that comes out of them is a power cord.”

Central scanning equipment is networked, according to Trowbridge, but the technology is on an air-gapped network that is completely separate from the public internet.

This significantly reduces the risk of remote hacking or unauthorized access from external sources, he said.

Even if a hacker attempts to access a voting machine, they would need to physically tamper with the machine itself, which may be more challenging due to the physical security measures.

Looking to Nov. 5, Derek Tisler emphasized there are always checks and balances available in the process to make sure that there is no one individual who could disrupt anything.

“Public trust is so essential to the democratic process, and that is why elections are transparent,” Tisler said.

 

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