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(WASHINGTON) — Election officials across the country are trying to prepare for what’s out of their control.

When millions of Americans head to the polls on Tuesday, some voters might encounter minor issues including equipment malfunctions or delays. Election officials say that they are prepared for those inevitable challenges, which can come up every election year — but that they struggle with the torrent of misinformation that could follow, where bad actors or election skeptics will sometimes use minor issues to amplify unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud.

A preview of that problem played out last week in Kentucky when a voter shared a video online of what officials called a “user error” on an electronic ballot-marking machine that created the false impression the device was switching votes from Donald Trump to Kamala Harris. Election officials said the machine produces a paper ballot, which the user then has multiple opportunities to confirm before their vote is scanned — and that the voter who posted the video was able to cast their ballot as intended.

After the machine was taken out of service, Laurel County Clerk Tony Brown shared a video online demonstrating the machine working without issue and said that officials struggled to replicate the error. But the damage was already done, with the original video amassing tens of millions of views on social media, where it was shared by users suggesting that voting machines were being used to rig the election.

Nevertheless, the incident in Kentucky underscores what election experts have been stressing to the voting public: While minor glitches may occur at a few isolated polling places, they are not an indication of widespread voter fraud.

“I hate that this has occurred here in Laurel County,” Brown posted. “We strive to have accurate, secure and safe elections that we are proud to provide to our citizens.”

Anticipating similar issues on Election Day, election officials in some counties have prepared pre-written fact checks that can be shared online to quickly counter misinformation before it spreads.

“If there’s an issue that comes up on Election Day, we can kind of say, like, ‘Here’s something that you might have seen, here’s actually what happened,'” said Samantha Shepherd, communications manager for Loudon County, Virginia. “That’s kind of our crisis communication plan for mis- and disinformation.”

Election workers hope that clear communication and transparency can stem the tide of what Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, describes as a “fire hose of disinformation” targeting the integrity of the country’s elections.

“Election officials have never been better prepared to deliver safe and secure and free and fair elections for the people,” Easterly said.

That security stems in part from built-in redundancies that allow officials to securely administer the election, even if equipment fails.

“We have paper backup nearly in every jurisdiction across this country, so that we can rely on that if technology is not there to assist us,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

Across the country, 97% of voters will cast ballots in jurisdictions that provide verifiable paper backups, Easterly said.

That means if an electronic voting machine breaks down, election workers can return to traditional paper ballots, said Derek Tisler, an attorney with the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonprofit think tank. In a case like the ballot-marking device that was at issue in Kentucky, the paper ballot showed that the voter’s selection had to be corrected, which it was before their vote was actually cast.

“The common theme that we see with so many of the backups, specifically for technical issues, is that there is usually a very simple, paper-based system that can keep things moving smoothly until the issue can be resolved,” said Tisler.

Tisler also said there’s increased transparency in the aftermath of the 2020 election, with poll watchers able to oversee most elements of election administration, and election workers often operating in two-person or bipartisan teams.

“We are wide open. You can come in anytime,” said Aaron Ammons, the clerk in Champaign County, Illinois. “The public can come and see the process from A to Z, and I strongly encourage them.”

The decentralized nature of the country’s election infrastructure also protects against widespread fraud, according to experts. Instead of operating under a single nationwide system, elections are generally run on the county level, with some states like Wisconsin and Michigan running elections through thousands of municipal clerks — an arrangement that helps prevent bad actors from causing large-scale systemic problems.

“We have a large and decentralized election system that’s run in counties and cities across the country, and it’s natural that there’ll be some bumps in the road,” said Brian Hinkle, senior voting policy researcher at the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit think tank. “But in the end, these election officials take great pains to make sure the process is accurate, safe and secure.”

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(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. military coordinated closely with the Israeli Defense Forces to help defend against Tuesday’s Iranian missile attack, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House briefing shortly after the strike appeared to have ended.

“U.S. naval destroyers joined Israeli Air Defense units in firing interceptors to shoot down inbound missiles,” he said.

At the Pentagon, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters that two U.S. Navy destroyers fired “approximately a dozen” missile interceptors at the incoming ballistic missile barrage aimed at Israel.

Ryder said the two destroyers that launched missile interceptors were the USS Bulkeley and USS Cole that were in the eastern Mediterranean on the ongoing missile defense mission.

“We do not know of any damage to aircraft or strategic military assets in Israel. In short, based on what we know at this point, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective,” Sullivan said.

At the same time, he called it a “significant escalation” by Iran.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris monitored the Iranian attack against Israel from the White House Situation Room and received regular updates from their national security team, Sullivan said.

The president had directed the U.S. military to aid Israel’s defense against Iranian attacks and to help shoot down missiles targeting Israel.

Earlier, before the strike began, Biden had posted on X that the U.S. was ready to help Israel defend against the Iranian missile attack.

He said as well that the U.S. was ready to protect American personnel in the region.

Asked at the briefing whether Biden would recommend Israel have a limited response as he did after Iran’s attack in Israel in April, Sullivan declined to say.

“I will not, from this podium, share the president’s recommendations. He will have the opportunity to share them directly. We’re going to have, as I said, ongoing consultations with the Israelis this afternoon and this evening. It is too early for me to tell you anything publicly in terms of our assessment or in terms of what our expectations are of the Israelis or the advice that we will give them,” he said.

Before the strike began, the Pentagon said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant to discuss the threat of an imminent Iranian attack against Israel.

A spokesman said they spoke about severe consequences “in the event Iran chooses to launch a direct military attack against Israel.”

One of the first reactions from a congressional lawmaker came from from South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham who called Iran’s missile attack on Israel a “breaking point” and called for a response.

“I would urge the Biden Administration to coordinate an overwhelming response with Israel, starting with Iran’s ability to refine oil,” Graham said in a statement.

He called for oil refineries to be “hit and hit hard.”

President Biden had been scheduled to hold a call with rabbis ahead of the Jewish High Holidays but the White House said that call has now postponed.

House Speaker Mike Johnson was briefed on the Iranian strikes on Israel, according to his spokesperson.

“Pray for Israel,” Johnston said in a statement posted on X.

ABC News’ Luis Martinez and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.

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