This Website Tracks Election Deniers Who Are Currently Running for Office. Is Your Candidate on the List?
"We created ElectionDeniers.org as the one-stop shop for voters who want to better understand what’s at stake in these races, said States United CEO Joanna Lydgate
AP Photo/Joe Maiorana
Bernie Moreno, a 2024 Ohio Senate candidate, who is classified as an election denier by States United Democracy CenterA website has been launched for the 2024 election cycle to help voters understand the meaning of election denial and see who on their ballot has embraced its ideology.
ElectionDeniers.org is a comprehensive database that includes statistics about election denialism in the United States and the history of how it became a mainstream practice.
Visitors to the site can also search for election deniers who are both currently in office and running for office at various levels of government.
Once a voter finds the name of the official they're looking for, they can click on a button that says "Expand" to learn more information about the actions the person has taken to deny election results and spread baseless lies.
"Election denial isn’t a new concept, but it really turned into a political movement in 2020," says Joanna Lydgate, CEO of States United Democracy Center, which started the website. "Trump and his allies went state by state and tried to overturn valid election results in order to stay in power."
"Election denial is about eroding trust in our elections. Why? Because that makes it easier to cast doubt on the results after the fact if the election doesn’t go your way," she continues. "Our elections are free, safe, and fair and there is no evidence of wrongdoing. But election denial makes it seem like our system is untrustworthy."
The site includes several high-profile names ranging from the top of the Republican White House ticket down to statewide officeholders.
Some people on the database are recognizable, like former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Others are lesser-known, including a handful who are first-time candidates for Congress in battleground districts.
"Right now, there are 108 election deniers on the ballot for Congress in November, 170 sitting members of Congress are election deniers, and of course we have an election denier running for president," Lydgate tells PEOPLE. "In the states, 26 election deniers hold statewide office in 19 states, and 20 election deniers are running for statewide office."
"What that tells you is that election denial is a concern all over the country and at all levels of government," she adds.
Related: Rudy Giuliani Ordered to Pay $148 Million for Defaming Georgia Election Workers
Samuel Corum / Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks at the "Stop The Steal" rally on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.Lydgate's organization, States United, is a bipartisan nonprofit that aims "to protect our elections and our democracy," according to its site.
States United created ElectionDeniers.org, Lydgate says, "as a one-stop shop for voters who want to better understand what's at stake in these races."
"We know that the election denier movement is alive and well — well-connected, and well-funded," she tells PEOPLE. "It’s a danger to our democracy at every level."
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