After the 2020 election, Trump allies in several states organized fake slates of “electors” claiming Trump had won. These were not alternate opinions. They were coordinated efforts to replace certified results with phony documents sent to Congress and the National Archives.
What the plan was
The idea came from lawyers around Trump, including John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani. They pushed state GOP officials to sign false “certificates” saying Trump had carried their states, even where Biden’s wins had been certified and confirmed by recounts. The goal was to stall Congress on January 6 long enough to throw the election back to Republican-controlled legislatures.
What the evidence shows
- Fake elector documents were sent from seven states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
- Every official slate of electors for Biden had already been certified by governors under state law.
- The National Archives received both real and fake certifications but recognized only the lawful ones.
- Emails and memos later showed coordination between Trump campaign officials and state party leaders.
Legal fallout
Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Arizona have brought criminal charges against some of the participants. Federal prosecutors described the scheme as part of the larger effort to obstruct Congress on January 6. Several of those charged have taken plea deals and admitted the plan had no legal basis.
Why it matters
This wasn’t paperwork confusion. It was an attempt to replace certified votes with forged documents. If it had worked, it would have nullified millions of ballots. It’s one of the clearest examples of how the Stop the Steal movement crossed from rhetoric into action.