Voting may be over, but this election worker is still debunking disinformation

Originally published by The 19th

In the days following the 2024 presidential election, Barb Byrum of Michigan watched open skepticism pour in online about former President Donald Trump’s win over Vice President Kamala Harris.

Some questioned how there could be lower overall voter turnout compared to four years ago, especially when there was record early voting in some states. Others wondered how enthusiasm for Harris — who packed campaign rallies in the final weeks of the election — could translate into more votes for Trump. And yet others raised the possibility that their votes hadn’t actually been recorded.

There is no proof of widespread voter fraud, and officials who oversee the country’s decentralized election system have praised how smoothly the process played out this year.

That hasn’t stopped suspicions from manifesting on several social media platforms. But Byrum — herself a Harris supporter and a former Democratic state representative — does nonpartisan work as the chief elections official in Ingham County, which includes part of the state capital of Lansing. Byrum was wearing that hat as she started debunking conspiracy theories, something she also did in 2020 when Trump challenged the election results and some of his supporters began spreading unfounded doubt.

“In the end, we must combat mis- and disinformation,” Byrum told The 19th. “No matter who is saying it, it is imperative that we bring truth and shed light.”

Byrum has been addressing the incoming false narratives that she encounters on different social media accounts since the election. No, results were not manipulated or sent via the internet, she explained. And yes, there are multiple ways for voters in the state to know whether their vote was counted or not, as Byrum provided in a step-by-step explainer that included screenshots of the status page.

“I don’t think it’s election denialism yet, but if it's allowed to persist, it will go in that direction,” she said of the narratives floating around. “Right now, people are grieving the loss of their candidate and they’re trying to understand.”