Written by Hudson Crozier

More election integrity efforts: After the voter fraud controversies of 2020, election integrity concerns became a recurring theme for the GOP.  Multiple red states passed strict laws on voter ID, absentee ballots, mail-in voting, and more. This year, leaders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Virginia’s Attorney General established anti-voter fraud units.

Ahead of the midterms, prominent GOP candidates have campaigned on improving election integrity. The Republican National Committee recruited over 45,000 poll watchers “to ensure that November's midterm elections are free, fair, and transparent.”

The media’s “Big Lie” narrative: Establishment media outlets continue to condemn skepticism of the 2020 election as “unfounded allegations,” “baseless claims,” “lies,” or “conspiracy theories.” In reality, reports are still coming out of the pervasive irregularities of the election. These include last-minute voting rule changes in swing states won by Democrats, which courts have now determined to be illegal, and hundreds of millions of dollars in third-party funding that favored Democrats.

Big picture: A May poll found that 55 percent of U.S. voters believe “cheating likely affected the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.” Despite legacy media portraying those who advocate for stricter voting laws as divisive and baseless, this sentiment isn’t limited to one side. Election fraud claims weren’t seen as conspiracy theories back in 2016 when many Democrats and journalists called foul in the presidential election of Donald Trump.