The most comforting thing about the US election is its familiar chaos

The 2020 US general election has been the most widely anticipated in decades, and not just because the results will have far-reaching implications. As the pandemic’s impact on the voting process became clear, so did the realization that any result would immediately become entangled in speculation, conspiracy theory, and very real litigation.

President Donald Trump falsely declared victory in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and has spent the intervening hours casting as much doubt on the validity of mail-in ballots—which lean heavily pro-Biden. While it feels chaotic, it all tracks: Leading up to the election, allies in the Republican party pushed measures to limit access to voting, from fake ballot boxes to limited polling sites to alleged sabotage of the US Postal Service.

Election chaos is ultimately about confusing and dismaying the public, and the world has been here before.

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