Election security: Officials say 2024 election saw only 'minor' disruptive activities

Voting hours were extended at a number of polling sites due to technical issues.

From the polling place to the courtroom, ABC News tracks the latest election security developments on Election Day 2024 as experts warn about the spread of misinformation and disinformation from within the U.S. and abroad.

Security experts stress that the nation's voting infrastructure is highly secure, and that isolated voting issues do not indicate widespread election fraud.

For coverage of each race, see our election updates.

Nov 4, 10:33 am

How to watch ABC News coverage of Election Day

On Election Day, voters around the country will eagerly wait to hear if former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris comes out on top in the race for the White House.

ABC News will have full coverage of the presidential election results and many other key down-ballot races on Election Day and the days afterward as votes continue to get counted.

Here's how to watch ABC News live coverage of 2024 election results.

Nov 04, 2024, 5:45 PM EST

Pennsylvania counties continue to investigate potential voter registration fraud

Officials in several counties across Pennsylvania continue to investigate potentially fraudulent voter registration applications, as Trump has pushed some misleading or false claims about the incident.

Authorities in Lancaster, Berks, Monroe and York counties are investigating thousands of voter registration applications they say are potentially fraudulent, according to various officials around the state. Amid the ongoing investigations, some of the applications have been confirmed to be fraudulent while some have been determined to be legitimate, according to updates.

Still, as recently as last week Trump said Lancaster County was "caught … with 2,600 votes."

"They found, as I understand it, I mean, I don't know what's happened to the last day or so, but they in Lancaster, they found 2,600 ballots, all done in by the same hand," Trump said Sunday in Pennsylvania.

But, according to the Pennsylvania attorney general, Trump's characterization is untrue. In a statement last week, the state's top prosecutor, Michelle Henry, said that "the investigations regard voter registration forms, not ballots."

PHOTO: Michelle Henry, Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, testifies in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, July 26, 2023.
Michelle Henry, Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, testifies during the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection on" taking account of fees and tactics impacting Americans' wallets" in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, July 26, 2023.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

On Monday, Lancaster County officials also updated that out of the approximately 2,500 applications under investigation, more than half were confirmed to be valid. According to Lancaster County Commissioner Ray D'Agostino, 57% of the applications were verified, 17% were determined to be fraudulent, and 26% are still being investigated and are either incomplete or not verified.

D'Agostino stressed that the investigation with the DA is still ongoing. "We take this very seriously," he said.

In York County, officials last week said their investigation into a batch of 3,087 applications led to 47% having been "verified as legitimate" and were approved, 29% were incomplete and are pending, and 24% were declined and are being investigated by the DA.

Election officials have emphasized that this alleged fraud was contained and stopped -- and say the instance highlights the effectiveness of the system. Henry said the fraud attempts "have been defeated."

"These attempts have been thwarted by the safeguards in place in Pennsylvania," Henry said in her statement last week.

-ABC News' Olivia Rubin

Nov 04, 2024, 5:38 PM EST

Martin Luther King Jr. would be 'very supportive' of VP Harris, son says

In an interview with ABC News Live on Monday, Martin Luther King III -- the son of Martin Luther King Jr. -- said his father would "be very proud of the message that the vice president is advocating" and "very supportive" of her campaign.

Arndrea Waters King echoed her husband's sentiment, saying it would be "a celebratory day for all of us."

"[Harris] is very clear that she will be a president for all of us," she added. "And so she's continuing to take that message every place that she goes."

The Kings also pushed back on the notion that the Black community, specifically Black men, are supporting Trump over Harris.

"There has always been this excitement around the vice president as the nominee amongst the entire Black community," Arndrea said. "The excitement is there, the numbers are there. And what we are seeing is that the exact opposite is true, that we are seeing Black men actually coming and voting and organizing and literally being on the forefront."

-ABC News' Kellymarie Braun, Kyra Phillips, Joshua B. Ascher, Adisa Hargett-Robinson and Ayanna Martinez

Nov 04, 2024, 5:28 PM EST

Over 80 million Americans have voted early

On the eve of Election Day, over 80 million Americans have voted early, according to the University of Florida Election Lab.

The tally includes both early in-person voting and absentee ballots.

-ABC News' Brittany Shepherd

Nov 04, 2024, 5:05 PM EST

Illinois man arrested for punching election worker

An Orland Park, Illinois, man was arrested Sunday after he got into a violent confrontation with a poll worker, punching them in the face, according to police.

Daniel Schmidt, 24, allegedly walked into the building and passed other voters waiting in line to enter the voting area, Orland Park police said. An election judge told Schmidt to go to the back of the line and called another judge to assist, officials said. Schmidt tried to push past that election judge and was stopped from entering the voting area by the judge and other employees, according to police.

Schmidt then allegedly started yelling profanities and punched the election judge in the face, knocking their glasses off, witnesses told officers.

He also then resisted while being placed under arrest, police said.

He has been charged with two counts of aggravated battery of a victim of at least 60 years old, two counts of aggravated battery in a public place, five misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.

-ABC News' Tonya Simpson