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Did 20 million votes really go missing in the US election?

We investigate a viral graph that suggests turnout was drastically lower than in 2020.

Just hours after Donald Trump claimed victory in the US presidential election, rumours started swirling that something was afoot.
A graph went viral on social media that appeared to show there were 20 million more votes cast in 2020 than in the 2024 election. Where had these supposedly “missing” votes gone?

Conspiracy theorists on both sides of the political spectrum began shouting claims of fraud.

The answer, it turns out, is rather more straightforward.

Presenter: Charlotte McDonald
Producer: Lizzy McNeill
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound Mix: Hal Haines
Editor: Richard Vadon

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9 minutes

Last on

Mon 18 Nov 202400:50GMT
BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa

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  • Sat 16 Nov 202405:50GMT
    BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
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  • Mon 18 Nov 202400:50GMT
    BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa

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