Election officials fear 'conspiracy pushers' may disrupt vote in swing states

Veteran GOP strategist Stuart Stevens, a Never Trump conservative who is supporting Kamala Harris for president, has predicted that the final weeks of the 2024 presidential race will see a major surge for the vice president — not unlike the surge that Ronald Reagan enjoyed in 1980.

But many of the national and battleground state polls released in late August showed a close race, and Harris continues to describe herself as the "underdog" candidate.

Meanwhile, quite a few Democratic strategists and attorneys have been voicing concerns that if Harris wins key swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin, GOP nominee Donald Trump and his allies will try to overturn the election results — including Republicans serving on state election boards.

In a report published on September 3, Stateline's Matt Vasilogambros examines fears of MAGA election subversion in the Rust Belt.

READ MORE:How the 'antiquated' Electoral College can be reformed to root out 'intrigue and corruption'

"Stateline crisscrossed Michigan and Wisconsin — two states critical in the race for the presidency — to interview dozens of voters, local election officials and activists to understand how the voting, tabulation and certification processes could be disrupted in November," Vasilogambros wrote.

"There is broad concern that despite the checks and balances built into the voting system, Republican members of state and county boards tasked with certifying elections will be driven by conspiracy theories and refuse to fulfill their roles if former President Donald Trump loses again."

Barb Byrum, Democratic clerk for Ingham County, Michigan, has warned about "conspiracy pushers" serving on election boards. And Michael Siegrist, Democratic clerk for Canton Township, Michigan, is sounding the alarm about MAGA election deniers as well.

Siegrist, according to Vasilogambros, recently told his colleagues: "All of the rules we have in place are either to protect the integrity of the election or to protect the voters... We're working for the people. We're not working for ourselves. We're not working for our philosophies. And we're not working for our political parties."

After two GOP members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers initially refused to certify over 800,000 votes in the 2020 race, Siegrist lamented, "We are basically doing what no foreign county has ever been able to do, which is successfully undermine our election system."

READ MORE: How 'Red Dawn conservatives' have formed anti-Trump alliance with 'educated suburban dads'