New Report Shows Spike in Election Fraud Indicators Since 2016

Independent Data Analysis Highlights Issues

LAS VEGAS, May 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Independent analysis of 40 years of publicly-available election data shows a sharp uptick of fraud indicators in Minnesota Presidential elections in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 elections — and that these fraud indicators appear to predominantly benefit the Republican Party.

This is according to the latest report by the Election Truth Alliance (ETA), a non-partisan, non-profit election watchdog group.

Minnesota was selected due to the robust and accessible nature of the state's election data, which enabled analysis of trends over time.

The ETA applied peer-reviewed methods to publicly-available election data provided by the Minnesota Secretary of State. These methods are used to detect systematic election interference internationally, such as the large-scale stuffing of ballot boxes and/or the reporting of falsified numbers per expert work analyzing international elections in general and Russian elections in particular.

In today's elections, almost all votes are counted digitally, which could make them vulnerable to electronic manipulation.

In-depth analysis narrowed in on the three most recent Presidential elections (2016, 2020, and 2024) as these exceeded the minimum expected threshold, and the 1984 Presidential election served as a 'clean', pre-computerized ballot-counting baseline.

The analysis indicates that the 2016, 2020, and 2024 Presidential Election data displays patterns inconsistent with organic human voting behavior and shows statistical signs consistent with vote manipulation based on the works of international election forensics experts. The 1984 Election did not reveal the same statistical indicators of fraud. Between 1984 and 2016, no election exceeded the minimum threshold to qualify as 'detected' fraud per the expert methods used.

These statistical signs remain present even after controlling for sociodemographic, electoral factors, and voting methods.

Why Does It Matter?Cybersecurity experts have raised alarm for decades about systemic vulnerabilities in America's computerized election systems. Computers used to cast and count votes can be compromised like any other computer. Approximately 70% of American votes are cast or counted by machinery belonging to two private companies.

In 2019, a bipartisan U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee concluded that election systems in all 50 states were targeted by Russia in 2016. Further breaches in early 2021 constitute the most severe election security breach publicly known. Modems used to transmit results, software updates, and even thumb drives can be vectors for malware that may compromise the accuracy of reported results.

The same or similar computers will be used to cast and count votes in primary elections, special elections, and midterm elections throughout 2026. Most counties do not require hand recounts to verify results as part of standard process steps before an election is certified.

What Now?Additional rigor and scrutiny are necessary from 2026 onward to ensure votes cast in U.S. elections are counted fairly and accurately. The ETA recommends verification methods administered or monitored by non-partisan independent organizations. This may include full hand recounts (preferably county-wide), hand-counted ballot audits, chain-of-custody reviews, registration e-pollbook data audit, and tabulator software/cyber audits.

Moreover, a shift in public discourse surrounding what it means to safeguard American elections is even more critical. "Recounts and audits are part of election infrastructure," says Nathan Taylor, Executive Director of Public Engagement with the ETA. "Calling for a recount shouldn't be discouraged because of the perception that doing so is 'questioning the results.' These are levers of democracy that candidates should feel empowered to pull."

The full Minnesota report is available online at ElectionTruthAlliance.org. 

Media Contact:Angela Predhomme(872) 216-9711[email protected]

SOURCE The Election Truth Alliance