Did Pennsylvania Record 205,000 More Votes Than Voters?
Voting Rights And Voter Fraud,Facts And Fact Checking,2020 Election Fact Checking,2020 Election,Elections
Among the copious false claims about election fraud that U.S. President Donald Trump made after losing the 2020 presidential election to challenger Joe Biden was the assertion that the state of Pennsylvania had found they recorded β205,000 votes more than they had voters.β
The apparent source of the misinformation amplified by Trump was a news release issued by Pennsylvania State Rep. Frank Ryan on Dec. 28, maintaining that a comparison of βcounty election results to the total number of voters who votedβ in Pennsylvania revealed a discrepancy of over 203,000 ballots:
A comparison of official county election results to the total number of voters who voted on November 3, 2020 as recorded by the Department of State shows that 6,962,607 total ballots were reported as being cast, while DoS/SURE system records indicate that only 6,760,230 total voters actually voted. Among the 6,962,607 total ballots cast, 6,931,060 total votes were counted in the presidential race, including all three candidates on the ballot and write-in candidates.
Related Coverage
AllSides Picks
Recommended Reading
Building Relationships to Empower Trusted Messengers
"The Fulcrum" Contributor
August 24th, 2026
Red Blue Translator
Ballot Integrity
Red Blue Translator
Electoral College
Headline Roundup
CDC Declares End to Cyclospora Outbreak Despite Ongoing Investigations
September 11th, 2026