In a surprising turn of events, ABC has inadvertently ignited a storm of conspiracy theories after airing what appeared to be election results for Pennsylvania during the Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix broadcast on Sunday. The broadcast, conducted by ABC local affiliate WNEP-TV, displayed results that showed Vice President Kamala Harris leading with 52% of the votes compared to former President Donald Trump’s 47%.
The erroneous figures appeared on the ticker at the bottom of the screen, prompting immediate reactions across social media platforms. One user tweeted, “The cheat is on,” reflecting the sentiments of many who questioned the legitimacy of the election process. WNEP-TV clarified that the results were displayed “in error,” asserting that the numbers were “randomly generated” as part of a routine test conducted ahead of the highly anticipated election night on November 5.
Currently, Trump is leading in Pennsylvania by a narrow margin of 0.6 percentage points, according to an average of top polls compiled by Real Clear Politics. In the 2020 election, Biden secured Pennsylvania by a razor-thin margin of 80,555 votes, or 1.17%. Given this close history, any mention of election results provokes heightened scrutiny and concern from both parties.
Heightened Tensions After The Broadcast
Democrats have accused Trump and his allies of laying the groundwork to challenge the legitimacy of a potential loss in the upcoming election. Trump has consistently framed Democrats as dishonest, labeling mail-in ballots as corrupt, and urging his supporters to cast their votes in overwhelming numbers to ensure the election remains “too big to rig.”
Watch the video here:
Who else thinks ABC should be investigated for “accidentally” showing Fake PA Election Results ? pic.twitter.com/DbIkJvs8dq
— Marjorie Taylor Greene Press Release (Parody) (@MTGrepp) October 30, 2024
In the aftermath of the WNEP-TV broadcast, many users expressed skepticism regarding the integrity of the media. One user on X stated, “If the same graphics pop up after November 5th, with the same percentages & the same vote count, it’ll be EXTREMELY suspicious. And the media wonders why nobody trusts them?” Another echoed similar sentiments, claiming, “ABC is cheating for the Democrat machine. Their license should be revoked.”
Official Clarifications
Responding to the uproar, ABC issued a statement clarifying the situation. The broadcaster stated, “Those numbers should not have appeared on the screen, and it was an error by WNEP that they did. The numbers seen on the screen were randomly generated test results sent out to help news organizations make sure their equipment is working properly in advance of election night. The numbers were not reflective of any actual vote count.”
Furthermore, the network emphasized that Pennsylvania law prohibits the counting of mail-in ballots until after polls close at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. WNEP-TV has expressed regret over the confusion caused by the incident and has committed to implementing measures to prevent such errors in the future.
Ongoing Controversy
This incident adds to a growing list of allegations against ABC regarding its perceived bias. Following the presidential debate on September 10, conservative commentators criticized the network, claiming that moderators fact-checked Trump more rigorously than Harris. Additionally, an anonymous whistleblower alleged that ABC provided debate questions to the Harris campaign ahead of time, further fueling distrust among Trump supporters.
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