The election is nearly here, and Dominion Voting Systems is once again on Republicans’ minds.
The voting machine-maker became the subject of conspiracy theories following the 2020 election, which Donald Trump falsely claims was rigged against him. The smear campaigns against Dominion led to death threats and, eventually, lawsuits: In 2023, Fox News agreed to pay Dominion nearly $800 million to avoid a trial in a case that could have shown how the network promoted lies related to the 2020 election.
But the GOP is back at it, with Republicans in Georgia filing last month a lawsuit in state court, claiming without evidence that Dominion’s voting systems are not secure. That case was quickly thrown out by a judge who said any such claims were “purely hypothetical”: Not a single vote in the 2024 presidential election had been counted at the time the lawsuit was filed. Apparently even the idea that Dominion might be involved in counting and tabulating ballots was too much for some in the GOP to bear.
“Given that this election is exceptionally close with Georgia being a key swing state, it is not surprising that some are looking early for excuses if their side loses,” says Steven Buckley, a lecturer in digital media sociology at City, University of London, who specializes in U.S. politics. The Trump campaign and its outriders appeared to latch on to the Dominion conspiracy theory in the aftermath of the 2020 election in order to explain away a loss they found difficult to bear.
The company operated voting machines and software in 28 states in the 2020 race. States where Dominion-counted decisions were questioned—including in Michigan—subsequently conducted investigations and found that there was “no evidence of widespread or systematic fraud” in official reports commissioned by oversight committees led by Republicans. Even those within Fox News, which broadcast many of the conspiracy theories to a mass audience, seeding belief in them among Trump supporters, were privately saying there was no basis to the rumors.
But it’s not just about trying to get in potential excuses early for a tight election—or a result that doesn’t go the GOP’s way, says Buckley. The more extreme fringes of the right-wing political ecosystem survive on drumming up and developing conspiracy theories in order to make a living. “There are some within the GOP whose main hobby these days and indeed sometimes their source of income, is based upon pushing conspiracy theories and lies about the entire U.S. election system,” he says.
And because the name became a household one thanks to misguided scrutiny from Fox News in the aftermath of the last presidential election cycle, it’s an easy option for conspiracy theorists to “dredge up again for this election,” says Buckley. It has happened in every election since the 2020 U.S. presidential election, too. Dominion’s own website has a page dedicated to “setting the record straight” around the various conspiracies.
A Dominion spokesperson tells Fast Company: “Dominion is focused on supporting our customers, who administer U.S. elections. We are closely monitoring claims around the 2024 election.”
Hitting back against the rumors flying around more conspiratorially minded Republican circles, the spokesperson adds: “We strongly encourage people to rely upon verified, credible sources of election information—sources who can fully explain the many layers of physical, operational, and technical safeguards that exist to protect the integrity of our elections, including voting with paper ballots that can be audited and recounted.”
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