ABC briefly displayed “final” Pennsylvania election results during Sunday’s coverage of the Mexico City Grand Prix, declaring Kamala Harris the winner of crucial battleground state Pennsylvania, days ahead of the actual US presidential election.
The on-screen graphic, which aired during the 60th lap of the race, showed Kamala Harris defeating former President Donald Trump by a margin of 52% to 47%, with “100% of votes reported.”
This unexpected display left many viewers questioning the legitimacy of election coverage and sparked concerns about possible election interference.
ABC accidentally aired election results of Harris winning PA by 5% with 100% in pic.twitter.com/VTJCjH92uh
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 30, 2024
Pennsylvania, a swing state pivotal to either candidate’s path to the White House, is closely watched in each election cycle. Given that the 2024 election is still days away, this error has fueled debates and skepticism around media influence in elections.
Do these latest election “results” confirm that the fix is in and the vote is rigged?
Observers and political analysts alike are questioning how and why such a graphic appeared on ABC’s broadcast and what it might indicate about media preparation—or bias—going into the final stretch of election season.
Critics of the incident claim that premature “final” results feed into narratives of election interference, especially in a polarized political landscape where trust in mainstream media and election integrity are already fraught.
“If a major network can show completed election results before a single ballot is counted, what are voters supposed to think?” asked one Twitter user, echoing the sentiments of thousands of viewers who took to social media to express their concerns.
ABC issued a brief statement calling the broadcast error a “technical glitch” and an “internal test graphic” that was accidentally aired.
However, critics argue that such mistakes, especially with sensitive election data, highlight potential vulnerabilities or biases within media operations.