EXPLAINER: What to expect at polling places this year
Voting could feel different in this year's midterms, as the election falsehoods told by former President Donald Trump and many of his supporters have created a ripple effect across the country
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — This year's midterms are playing out against the backdrop of former President Donald Trump's persistent falsehoods about losing the 2020 election, a relentless campaign that will have implications for voters across the country as they cast their ballots.
The baseless claims and conspiracy theories have prompted new laws in several Republican-led states and sowed distrust of voting machines. They have led conservative groups sympathetic to Trump's claims to challenge voters' registration status and recruit observers and workers for polling places.
All this could complicate voting that is now underway in many states, through Election Day on Nov. 8. For most voters, casting a ballot is still likely to be trouble-free. But the new voting procedures and political dynamics since the last presidential election already are having an effect in some parts of the country.
Republican legislatures have created a variety of fresh restrictions on registration and voting. Trump’s refusal to accept his loss and the peddling of false claims by him and his allies have stirred anger among his supporters, and some of that has been channeled into harassment and even death threats directed toward election officials. On top of that, local election offices are still dealing with lingering fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
